Bloom Into a Hero
by Trafalgar Neo
Summary: Most kids Terra's age want to be a hero. All she wants to do is hide in her underground home and chill with her best friend Shoto. Yet here she is. At the most popular hero school ever with everyone's eyes on her because All Might got her in. (slow burn OC/Todoroki)
1. First Day of School

First Day of School

Terra hummed, as she turned to her right then to her left. The mirror reflected back the school uniform she was wearing. To her the grey blazer clashed with her hair, but the outfit was cute. The red tie really pulled the uniform together with the right amount of bright color to balance the greyness of the outfit.

"You are the cutest high school young woman I have ever seen."

"Uncle Toshi!" Terra whipped around and dove into Toshinori's arms. "I didn't think I'd see you before tomorrow!"

Toshinori laughed and swung her around before placing her on her feet. He patted her head. "How could I not come see my favorite girl before she starts the biggest journey of her life?"

"You're so sweet." Terra beamed up at him. "If only that sweetness could calm my nerves."

"Still nervous, huh?"  
"My stomach is all up in knots."

"All right Mr. Sweet and Miss Cutest High School Young Woman." The two turned to find Tomoko leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "Get out of that uniform before you ruin it. Dinner's ready."

"Let the girl have some fun," Toshinori said.

Tomoko shook her head. "You spoil her far too much. Terra, now."

"Yes, Mom." Terra released her uncle. She waited until he and her mom were out of her room before changing then met them in the dinning room, which was combined with the kitchen and living room. Spices wafted to her nose, making her mouth water. If only her stomach was as eager as her moth. With a smile she sat down beside Toshinori. "Are you excited about teaching at UA?"

Toshinori nodded. "It's going to be interesting. UA has molded a lot of great heroes." He tweaked her cheek. "And I know you're next."

Terra dropped her eyes to the table. Her stomach summersaulted. Heat from Toshinori's hand seeped into her shirt.

"It's going to be okay, Terra," he said. "I promise. I'll be right there to help you."

"I know." Terra nodded. "The waiting is so nerve wracking."

"No worries. It'll all start tomorrow. The first day is always the hardest," Toshinori said. "Is Young Todoroki still walking you to school?"  
"Yes." A smile blossomed on her lips.

"Wanna make her smile? Just mention Shoto's smile and out comes the sun." Tomoko chuckled as she sat down at the table.

"Of course! He's my best friend! So hush up and eat!"

"There is another reason I came here," Toshinori said as they ate. "I have information on Terra's homeroom teacher."

"What is it?" Tomoko asked.

"You'll be relieved to know that I was able to get her into Aizawa's homeroom class," Toshinori said.

"Aizawa?" Terra shoved a small bite of fish in her mouth. She rather not eat with her stomach acting like a gymnastic, but knew better. She didn't want to get a lecture from her mom about skipping meals.

"He's the pro hero Eraser Head," Toshinori explained. "He can erase a person's quirk for a while."

"Ah, that would be handing." Terra nodded.

"Beware thought. He's very strict. He'll fail a kid simply because he doesn't like them or doesn't think they're pro hero material."

"He'll seriously do that? Can he do that?" Tomoko's eyes widened.

Toshinori nodded. "Once he expelled an entire class."

"Wow. I knew UA was a tough school to go to but I had no idea the teachers there could do something like that." Terra's heart skittered as she shifted on her chair. "I think I'm more nervous than before. How am I going to handle this?"

"You'll be fine." Toshinori patted her shoulder. "You're good. You've been trained by the best." He gave a thumbs up, his teeth sparkling white.

"And the most modest." Tomoko cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh! Sorry!" Toshinori rubbed his head.

Terra laughed. Her uncle never failed to make her laugh.

…

Later that night, Terra stretched out on her bed. With the light from Birdie's chest lighting her room up, she started messaging Todoroki. "Sho-chan, you awake?"

The text scrolled cross Birdie's glowing chest.

"Birdie, send." The message blinked away. A few short seconds later, Todoroki's reply came.

-_Yes, I'm still awake. Though we both should be asleep by now. We have school tomorrow. And we have to get up early to get there before the crowds show up._

"I know. I'm so not looking forward to all the attention I'm going to be getting." Terra looked to her laptop lying on her desk. "Birdie, send."

Toshinori did his best to not let news get out that _All Might_ was recommending a student to UA. It didn't happen. Somehow the information managed to get out. For three weeks now it had been all over the news about All Might's mysterious student recommendation. "At least no one knows who I am. Yet." She sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't go…"

-_Don't worry. I won't let anyone hurt you. And I'll keep them away from you as much as possible._

Terra's chest warmed. "Thanks, Sho-chan. I know I can count on you. Birdie, send."

-_Go to bed now. Morning will get here before you know it. You need to be well rested for tomorrow._

"I know, I know. Goodnight, Sho-chan. Birdie, send."

-_Goodnight, Ter-chan._

Terra smiled. The older they got the less Todoroki called her Ter-chan when others were around. But when no one else was around he still called her that. The light vanished as the chest plate slid back over Birdie's chest. "Birdie, night recharge."

Birdie chirped then flew over to her desk. Its tail feathers shifted to allow a cord to come out and plug in to the outlet.

Terra hugged her pillow and waited for sleep to come.

…

"I couldn't sleep at all." Yawning, Terra dropped her head on the table. "So sleepy."

"Well, you shouldn't have stayed up all night talking to Shoto," Tomoko said.

"I didn't." Terra glared at her mom's back. Pancake batter sizzled. "We only text for a short time."

"Okay, I'll believe you this time." Tomoko smirked over her shoulder.

Terra rolled her eyes then yawned again. "Is the day over yet?"

"Not even started." Tomoko placed a short stack of pancakes on the table. "Eat up."

Terra fumbled for her fork before spearing two pancakes. She ate slowly, wishing she had some sleeping pills.

After cleaning up the dishes she stepped back into her room and pulled on her blazer and attached her water bottles to her hips. A quick glanced in the mirror she called for Birdie and headed for the door.

The doorbell rang.

"Terra, your boyfriend's here!" Tomoko sang.

"Very funny. Good morning, Sho-chan!" Terra walked up to her friend while eyeing the uniform. He looked good in grey.

"Don't you look handsome in that uniform," Tomoko gushed.

Todoroki nodded.

"Don't torture him." Terra slipped her shoes on.

"Have a nice day, you two." Tomoko waved them off. "Remember, I'll be working late tonight!"

Terra waved back before turning her attention to getting to school. "So this is it. We're finally heading for UA."

"Yeah." Todoroki nodded.

Terra squinted and scanned the morning crowds. People meandered along, heading to their jobs or school. None of them seemed to notice the two teenagers wearing the uniforms of UA. She hoped it stayed that way. Though she figured the chances were low since she was walking with Shoto Todoroki. Because his dad was the number two hero Todoroki was famous, too.

Somehow they managed to get all the way to the train without being noticed. There a few people whispered about them. "Look, they're students at UA."

"They looked like first years."

"Hey, isn't that Endeavor's son?"

"It is. Who do you think the girl is?"  
"She's wearing the uniform of UA. So she must be a student there."

"UA really is popular." Terra shifted closer to her friend.

"Better get use to it," Todoroki said.

Terra huffed and turned her attention to the window. She watched buildings pass by until the train pulled into the station and they were walking again. Then, she saw it. UA was rising before them on a hill over looking the city below. Four pillars with cross bridges made the school look like an H. She wondered if it was done like that on purpose. A large gate, looking like an upside down U, led them onto the path to the doors. More upside down U shaped pillars lined the walkway where a few students were talking. "Why do you think there are numbers on the doors? Are they for the students? We're first years so we go through door one?"

Todoroki didn't hesitate as he entered into the door with the one on it.

"Oh." Terra tilted her head back as she walked through the open door. The top of the door was over ten feet tall.

Goosebumps ran up and down her arms upon stepping into the school's cool air. While storing a few items in their assigned lockers, Terra scanned the room before continuing on into the building. The lobby was larger than she had expected. Potted plants occupied corners. A receptionist sat at a desk. A few adults, she assumed were teachers were sitting in chairs in one corner, talking and laughing.

"Come on. We're upstairs." Todoroki headed for the stairs.

Terra rushed to his side. Reaching the correct floor, she gasped. "Wow! Even the doors inside are huge! Do you think they have giants here? Teachers or students? What about Mount Lady? She can change her size. I wonder if anyone else will be able to do that here." She forced her eyes off the door and to the signs above them. "So where's our classroom? Oh, there it is. Class 1-A. I hope our classmates are nice."

Todoroki grunted.

"I know. You couldn't care less." Terra poked him on the side. "You can at least be nice."

Todoroki opened the door and stepped inside.

Terra followed him. Only one other person was in the room, a girl with long dark hair, pulled back in a layered spiked ponytail, sat in the back corner of the room. Her nose was in a book so Terra wasn't sure if she noticed the two of them come in. She closed the door and headed for Todoroki.

There were four rows of desks, five desks in each row, with an extra seat in the back behind the chair Todoroki sat in. Terra smiled. All Might had managed to get her a seat behind Todoroki. She was going to have to buy a thank you gift for him or make him something. He's already done so much to make sure her time at UA was comfortable.

Terra hooked her bag on her desk and sat down, her eyes roaming over every inch of the room. The large windows gave a great view of the front lawn. Most students were gathering there. The blackboard at the front of the room looked brand new. Even the desks looked new.

"Oh, good morning."

Terra jumped, her body stiffened.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." The long dark haired girl smiled.

"Hello." Terra bowed her head. Her words poured out of her mouth. "It's all right. It wasn't your fault. I was distracted. This place is a lot bigger than I had expected. And it looks so new, even though it's not. Or maybe it is. I don't know much about this place. They could buy new stuff each year. But then again maybe not." A nervous chuckled slipped passed her lips as the black haired girl stared at her. She glanced at Todoroki, who was also staring at her. She ducked her head. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I know the feeling. This place is pretty impressive and intimidating. I'm Momo Yaoyorozu," she said.

"Terra Tanaka. And this guy here is-"

"Shoto Todoroki." Yaoyorozu nodded. "Who doesn't know him? It's nice to meet you both."

Todoroki closed his eyes, ignoring the girl.

"Don't mind him. He really is friendly." Terra patted Todoroki's head. "He only needs time to warm up to people. He's really a good boy."

"Stop treating me like a dog." Todoroki pushed her hand away.

"Of course." Yaoyorozu smiled and went back to her book.

Terra sighed and slumped in her chair.

"What was that about?" Todoroki turned to her. "You never ramble like that."

"I don't know. It just happened. Maybe it's my nerves." Terra turned her attention to the students coming into the room. She watched them, studied them.

"Looks like we have a lot of cute girls in our class." A spikey bright blonde guy with a single black squiggled on the left side walked towards the back of the room, his eyes on Terra. "Hi! I'm Denki Kaminari."

"And I'm Eijiro Kirishima." A well-built, spiked redhead came over as well.

"Nice to meet you both." Terra clenched her hands on her lap, her spine straightened like a rod. "I'm Terra Tanaka. Please, call me Terra. I never liked people using my last name. It can get confusing, you know? But I'll use yours, if that's what you want. So what do you think of UA so far? Amazing and intimidating, isn't it?"

"She's rather talkative," Kaminari said.

"Sorry." Heat rushed up Terra's cheeks.

"Hello, Terra. I am Tenya Iida. I look forward to sharing our educational experience together."

Terra looked up to a third young man standing beside her. He was tall, squared glasses perched on his nose, his dark blue hair brushed over the top of his eyelids.

"I don't remember seen you at the entrance exams." Iida moved his arms in stiff motions as he spoke. "There's not many people with crystal green hair and eyes like yours running around."

"Oh, well, I didn't have to take them." Terra ducked her head. "I got in on recommendation by All Might."

"You're the one All Might recommended?!" someone yelled. Shoes thundered on the floor.

Terra stiffened. Eyes. So many eyes were starting at her, bombarding her with question after question.

"Did All Might train you?"  
"How well do you know him?"

"How did you meet All Might?"

"Is he really a teacher here?"

A boy with green hair was at the front of all the questions. He leaned in close to her.

"Uh, well, it's All Might. He's taught me a few things. But it's not all that exciting." Terra rubbed her head. Heat rushed her face when she realized what she said. She frantically waved her hands at the confused students. "I mean it's not like that. All Might's the best. He's number one, after all. It's just I've know him for a while now. The newness and amazement kind of worn off. Wait, no, that's not right either. I can't seem to find the right words." More nervous laugher escaped her.

"She's All Might's recommendation?" a girl colored pink said.

"That's what she said." Another girl with long earlobes crossed her arms. "Not what I expected from a recommendation by All Might."

"But that's who she is. All Might must have seen something in her to recommend her for this school," the green haired boy said while eyeing Terra with deep curiosity.

More heat rolled over Terra's cheeks. Her heart hammered her ribs in an attempt to escape before leaves sprouted from her skin and wrapped her in a cocoon.

"She hid," Kirishima said.

"Maybe we should leave her alone for now," the green haired boy suggested.

Footsteps faded away from her. Terra's leaves pulled back and disappeared. She dropped her head on her desk with a groan.

"I could be wrong but you seem to have a case of social awkwardness." Yaoyorozu chuckled. "You have a plant type quirk?"  
Terra turned her head and peaked through one eye. "Social awkwardness? Yes, I do have a plant type quirk."

"I can't wait to see what you can do. You must be amazing if All Might recommended you."

Terra twisted her lips to the side.

"Shut up, you idiots!" a voice boomed. "Who cares about her?! She's nothing special because All Might recommended her!"

Terra glanced up to see yet another spikey haired boy. She blinked. Apparently spikey hair was a trend around here. And this guy didn't look as friendly as the other two. His eyes and teeth were sharp and intense as if he were going to bite someone.

"Take it easy, Ka-chan." The green haired, freckle-faced boy held up his hands.

"What was that, you nerd?!"

The green haired boy ducked his head. "It's just…everyone is excited about All Might recommending a student for this school. That's all."

"So what?! I can tell she's nothing special!" The angry boy sat down. "Now, shut up!"

The green haired boy's shoulders sagged before he took his seat behind the angry boy. Terra's eyes locked onto him until an older voice flowed from the door.

"Okay, it took eight seconds for you kids to be quiet. When I speak you all should shut up immediately." A zipper followed the man's voice. Then a man with shaggy black hair stepped into the room. He looked out at the students over his scarf with bloodshot eyes. "I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you all." He reached into the yellow sleeping bag he had drug into the room and took out a blue tracksuit marked with red and white. "Let's get started now. These are your tracksuits. Put them on and meet me on the field outside." The man placed a stack of tracksuits on the podium and left the room without another word.

"So that's our homeroom teacher."

"He's sure not what I expected."

The students murmured together while searching for their tracksuits.

"You going to be okay?" Todoroki stood.

"Of course."

Todoroki gave her a curious look.

Terra shrugged as they worked their way to the front of the room.

"Does anyone know where the locker rooms are?" Kaminari asked.

"I know! I have the building guide map memorized!" The green haired boy lifted his hand.

Terra took her tracksuit from Todoroki. They walked out of the room and downstairs, following the green haired boy. It didn't take them long to get to the locker rooms. There the boys and girls split up. Terra gave Todoroki one last glance before they parted.

"This is so exciting!" The pink girl leapt into the air. "These tracksuits are so cute!"

"They are."

Terra quirked an eyebrow upon finding the one who spoke was invisible, but for her clothes. They floated in the air.

"Oh, I'm Toru Hagakure," the invisible girl said.

"Mina Ashido!" Ashido shook Hagakure's hand.

Terra moved to the locker closest to her while committing their names and faces, or lack there of, to memory. Opening the narrow door, she started to disrobe; glad she wore a thin layer of clothing underneath.

"Mind if I take the locker next to yours?"

Terra turned to find Yaoyorozu smiling. "Sure. It's fine."

"Thanks." Yaoyorozu stared stripping.

"So did you have to go through the entrance exams?"

"No, I also got in on recommendation."

"Same as Sho-chan and me."

"Sho-chan?"  
"That's what I call Shoto." Terra shoved her arms into the sleeves. "We've known each other since we were kids."

"So you're close then?"  
"Very." Terra nodded.

A few minutes later the girls left the locker room and went outside. A cool wind rushed over Terra's skin. It took her a moment to notice that, despite the coolness, the tracksuits were warm and breathable. Spotting Todoroki's hair she rushed over to him, noting that the white marks on their suits for a U over their shoulders and an A going down over their torsos to their ankles. "What do you think we're doing out here?"  
"We'll know soon enough." Todoroki shrugged, eyeing the white marks on the ground.

Their teacher stood at the edge of a racing track with his arms crossed. He waited for them all to settle down and he took in a deep breath. "All right, let's get start. Today, we will be doing a quirk assessment test."

"A quirk assessment test?" most of the class asked.

"But what about the entrance ceremony? We're going to miss it," a girl with pink cheeks said.

Aizawa sighed. "If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events. UA's selling point is how unrestricted it's school traditions are. And that means I can run my class how I see fit." He pulled out a digital device and showed them a list of what they were going to be doing.

Terra scanned the list. They didn't look all that hard. Though some of them would be a bit difficult with having to use her quirk.

"You'll do fine," Todoroki said.

"Wish I had a faction of your confidence." Terra pressed her shoulder against his.

"You guys did this in junior high, yes? Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your quirks?" Aizawa asked. "The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It's illogical." He took a step back. "Bakugo, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right?"

Bakugo nodded. "Yeah."

"In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?" Aizawa asked.

"Sixty seven meters," Bakugo replied.

"Try doing it with your quirk." Aizawa handed him a ball. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up. Give it all you got."

Bakugo's eyes lit up as he stepped into the chalked circle marked on the ground. He stretched his body then took his stance. With a windup, he gritted his teeth, threw the ball, and screamed, "Die!"

"Eh?" Terra tilted her head. "Did he tell an inanimate object to die?"

Todoroki grunted.

Bakugo's hand exploded. The ball sailed high up into the air with fire streaking behind it before it disappeared from view.

"It's important to know your own maximum first. That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero," Aizawa said as the ball fell to the ground, the device in his hand measuring the distance the ball flew. He held up the screen for all to see.

"705.2 METERS?!" the class exclaimed as Bakugo puffed up his chest and smiled.

"We can use our quirks as much as we want! This is going to be so much fun! I'm pumped!" A boy with a sharp chin and black hair grinned.

"Fun, huh?" Aizawa frowned. "You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time you're here? When you face all kinds of dangers and villains? That won't do at all." His frown formed into a malicious grin. "All right, let's raise the stakes. Whoever comes in last place will be expelled from UA."

"Are you kidding?!" Kirishima shouted. "We just got through the entrance exam! Why should we be tested again?"

"Expelled? On the first day of school?!" Ashido said. "No! Even if it wasn't the first day of school, this is too unfair!"

"Welcome to the UA hero course! Natural disasters, crisis, crimes," Aizawa said. "We cannot control when these things happen. Life is unfair. Heroes are the ones who reverse those situations. If you came here thinking it would be just a normal day at school, too bad. For the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra."

"All Might was right." Terra blew a strain of hair from her face. "This guy really is strict."

"The demonstrations over. Let's get started," Aizawa said and walked towards the track. "First test is the fifty meter dash."

Iida step up to the starting line with a dark green haired girl. Terra took a moment to study the girl's squatted posture. That combined with her tongue sticking part way out gave the impression of a frog. Then when the girl started jumping down the marked lane instead of running, Terra knew for sure that the girl's quirk was frog related. She gasped, pressing her hands to her cheeks. "So cute! A froggy quirk!"

"Hm? Oh, I believe her name is Tsuyu Asui," Yaoyorozu said.

"Cute, cute, cute, cute! I have to talk to her!" Terra squealed and rushed over to the green haired girl when she rejoined the group. "Excuse me."

"Ribbit?" The girl turned to her.

"So cute! You even ribbit!" Terra squealed again as she circled the girl. "Your quirk. It's frog related, isn't it? You hopped like a frog. What else could it be?"  
"Ribbit. Yes, it is. I can do anything a frog can do. Jump, climb up stuff, stretch out my tongue, and a few other gross stuff."

"That's so cool!" Terra's eyes sparkled as she held out her hand. "I'm Terra Tanaka. It is so nice to meet you."

"Tsuyu Asui. Call me Tsu." Asui shook Terra's hand. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"So cute! I absolutely love frogs! So if I get too annoying, please tell me."

Tsu tilted her head, pressing her finger to her chin.

"Focus, Terra." Todoroki walked over to them. "You're turn will be up soon."

"Right. Sorry." Terra whipped to him with a grin.

"Excuse me, Terra?" Asui said.

"Hm?"

"What is that on your should?" Asui pointed to Birdie.

"This? Oh, it's Birdie. My mom made it for me." Terra caught a glimpse of Aizawa looking at her before he turned back to the students racing. "It's my cellphone."

"That thing is a cellphone?" Asui asked.

"It sure is. Mom uses her quirk to make stuff like this. Though Birdie here is one of a kind. She only made it for me."

"Interesting," Asui said.

Terra smiled then refocused on the tasks at hand. One by one the class ran the course, getting good scores as they went. Then it was her turn. "Let's see. How should I do this? I could use a vine from my hand but there's nothing to grab onto."

"Hurry up," Bakugo growled. "Don't just stand there like a moron!"

"That's not manly at all, dude," Kirishima said.

"Yeah. I want to know what All Might's recommendation girl is capable of."

"Me too."

"Same here."

"Hurry up." Aizawa glared. "We don't have all day."

"Right!" Terra flushed and took her position, searching for the plant life under the ground. The speed record at the other end buzzed. A vine broke through the ground. It shot towards her, wrapped around her waist, and pulled her to the other end in four seconds.

"Did you see that?!" Kaminari said. "She used a plant that wasn't part of her."

"I thought her could only use plants from her body," Hagakure said.

Iida cupped his chin. "Clearly she can control plants around her while also being able to produce them from her body. Interesting. Maybe All Might was right in recommending her."


	2. A Boy With Green Hair

A Boy With Green Hair

Terra held her own as they proceeded through one test after another. She wasn't the best by any means, but she wasn't the worst either. She figured she was somewhere in the middle, leaning closer to the worst than the best. Now they had come to the ball throw portion of the tests.

As she watched her classmates take their turn movement caught her eyes. Glancing up she spotted one of her classmates near by. In physical terms, he was by far the strangest. To her he looked like a pink rock with eyes and a mouth, though he never did speak. If someone spoke to him he answered with facial expressions and hand movements.

The boy caught her eye. Terra's body stiffened but she managed a smile. He smiled back then turned back to the event in progress.

"I'm curious about Midoriya." Terra turned her eyes to Yaoyorozu. She and a few other classmates were watching the green haired boy as he prepared for his ball throw. "He hasn't used his quirk at all."

"Of course he hasn't." Bakugo smirked. "He's a quirkless scum."

"Quirkless? That can't be possible. Did you not know what he did at the practical exam?!" Iida asked.

"Quirkless?" Terra looked at Midoriya. "Do you really think he's quirkless?"  
"It's possible," Todoroki said. "But I doubt it. If he was he most likely wouldn't be here."

Terra hummed and tilted her head as Midoriya drew back his arm. Red sparks started to grow and sparkle up his arm like vines on a wall. As he was just about to release the ball, the color disappeared and the ball flopped to the ground only a mere forty-five meters away.

"How is that possible?" Midoriya gasped as he turned to look at their teacher.

Terra couldn't help but follow his gaze. Her eyes widened. Aizawa's scarf was lifted from his shoulders, floating around along with his hair. The man's eyes were red, piercing directly at Midoriya. "How is that possible? His quirk can't lift things, can it?"

"It's probably a support item," Todoroki said.

"Oh."

"I erased your quirk," Aizawa said. "It doesn't make any sense. How did someone like you managed to get into this academy?"

"You erased my quirk?" Midoriya repeated and then he took a sudden step back. "Those goggles around your neck! I recognize them! You...you can erase other people's quirks with your quirk just by looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!"

"Eh? Eraser?" the class asked as they exchanged glances to see if anyone else recognized that name.

"No one knew who this man was?" Terra asked.

"How did you know?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Oh, um, my uncle told me about him." Terra scratched her cheek.

"Your uncle?"

Terra nodded and said nothing more. Her uncle had told her multiple times to never reveal he has two forms. While she didn't know why it had to be a secret she still kept it.

"From what I can tell you don't have full control over your quirk. Meaning you can't use it efficiently," Aizawa said. "Do you think someone will always be there to save you when you injure yourself?"

"N-no, I didn't-"

Aizawa's scarf snapped forward and grabbed Midoriya, pulling him to their teacher.

Terra wondered what their teacher was saying to them, but they were too far away. Whatever Aizawa was saying to Midoriya he didn't want everyone else to know. Her eyes locked onto the green haired boy.

There was something about him, something different from the others. Though she wasn't sure what it was or why she would even care. She did, however, wonder why this boy couldn't control his quirk. He was fifteen like the rest of them. He should have control over it by now.

Then Aizawa released Midoriya and walked away. "I have returned your quirk. Go ahead and take your throw."

Midoriya stepped back to the circle. Shoulders dropping, he started to mumble to himself.

Terra watched him with a tilt of her head. What was he going to do? What was he saying? Then he drew back his arm and threw the ball. She expected to see the red vines again but saw nothing as the ball shot through the air like a hot knife through butter and disappeared into the distance.

"Smash!" Midoriya yelled as he threw the ball.

"Huh?!" Terra's eyes widened. _Smash? Why would he say that? Uncle Toshi says that when he's fighting as All Might. Is it because it's All Might's move? The power behind the throw was similar to Uncle Toshi's power. Is Midoriya mimicking Uncle Toshi? No one else is._

"705.3 meters," the digital device chirped.

"Mr. Aizawa." Arm shaking, Midoriya lifted his hand. Terra cringed at the broken and bruised finger as the boy curled a fist. "I can still move!"

A blast caused Terra to jump.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Bakugo shot forward, rage burning in his eyes. "Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!" Before he could get close enough to grab Midoriya he was pulled back by Aizawa's scarf. "What the shell is this?!"

"My scarf is for capture. It's made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made of a special alloy." Aizawa scowled. "Jeez. Don't keep making me use my quirk. It gives me serious dry eye."

Terra's eyes went back to Midoriya. He was relieved Bakugo didn't touch him but it was obvious he was still in pain over his broken finger and fear for the explosive boy. Her eyes locked onto his bruised finger. She cringed. How was he going to the pain when they have more tests to get through? Without thought she rushed over to him. "Um, excuse me, uh, Midoriya, was it?"

"Huh? Yes?" Midoriya turned to her.

"You're hurt."

"Oh, yeah. It's nothing." Midoriya chuckled while rubbing his head.

"May I see it?" Terra asked.

"Uh, sure. I guess." Midoriya held up his hand.

Terra moved to grab his hand but stopped. She didn't want to hurt him anymore than he already was. Keeping her hands a couple inches from his, she formed a small vine from her finger and wrapped it around his. He winced. "Sorry."

"It's fine."

"There." The vine broke off from her skin. "That should help until you can get it taken care of properly."

"Uh, thanks, Terra," Midoriya said inspecting his finger. "That feels better."

Terra nodded and turned to go back to Todoroki. She caught a glimpse of Aizawa watching her. She swallowed. Did she do something wrong? Should she not have help Midoriya?

"Terra, your up," Aizawa said.

"Yes, sir," Terra squeaked, having forgotten that she hadn't taken her turn yet. Licking her lips she drew in a breath and picked up the ball. She took a moment to eye the ball. It was designed to log the distance it flew and send that data back to the handheld device their teacher was holding. She wondered who came up with the design before finally taking her throw. As her arm flew forward she sprouted vines from her fingers. It carried the ball a few yards before she released it. As the ball sailed through the air, Terra waved her hand. Vines sprouted up from the ground. One by one they grabbed the ball and continued to move it through the air.

"105 meters."

"Only 105 meters? I expected her to do better than that," Iida said.

The rest of the students mumbled in agreement.

Terra shrugged and rejoined the class.

…

"Times to announce the results." Aizawa shoved his hands into his pockets. "The total is simply the aggregate sum of each of your scores. It'll take too much time to go through them individually so I'll show you the results all at once." Pulling out one hand, he pressed a button and the results flashed on a projection beside him.

Terra scanned the list until she found her name. _Tanaka Terra 17_ She pursed her lips, unsure of what she should be feeling of her results. She shrugged. At least she passed.

The projection disappeared and Aizawa put the device back in his pocket. "By the way, I was lying about the expulsion. It was a rational deception to draw out maximum powers of your quirks." He smiled.

The class gasped. "What?!"

"Are you kidding?!"

"You mean you all didn't notice?" Yaoyorozu crossed her arms. "I guess I should have said something to you then."

A few classmates glared at her.

Terra stared at Aizawa. He did lie all right. But it wasn't about being expelled. She knew better. Toshinori had warned her about him. Her eyes then drifted to Midoriya. He was last on the list. He would have gone home. So why didn't he? What did Aizawa seen in this young boy to let him stay?

"Well, we're done here," Aizawa said as he started to walk back to the school building. "There are a couple of handouts in the classroom about the curriculum. So when you get back make sure to look them over. Dismissed. Oh and Midoriya." He held out a piece of paper. "Go to the Recovery Girl's to get yourself fixed. Terra's vine might have stabilized your finger but it's still broken. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests."

Terra continued to watch their teacher until he disappeared around the corner of the building.

"Let's go."

Terra jumped when something tapped her arm. She turned to find Todoroki had elbowed her. Their class was heading back inside. She followed without a word.

"You did well today," Todoroki said. "Though you shouldn't hold back as much. It won't be long before Aizawa calls you out on it."

"He might, but I don't mind." Terra nodded, watching the backs of their classmates. They were chatting amongst themselves about their test results and Aizawa's lie. She wondered what they would think if they knew he actually didn't lie about one of them being expelled.

Todoroki patted her shoulder before they separated into the locker rooms.

"That was so intense," Ashido said as she sat down on the bench.

"I know." Hagakure started taking off her clothes. "I'm so glad no one got sent home."

Terra turned from them and started changing while half listening to what they were saying. She ended up being the first one changed so she headed back to the classroom by herself. Voices flowed through the opened door.

"I'm surprised that All Might's recommendation didn't have more power."

"I know. But this is only the first day. I'm sure she'll show more of her power soon."

"Maybe."

Terra waited until their subject changed before walking into the room. She found the boy with glasses was already at the front of the classroom handing out the printouts to the boys who had made it back. If all the boys had been there she didn't know. Some might have already gone.

"Here is the curriculum for this semester. Please take this and review it in full." Iida held out some papers towards her.

"Oh, right." Terra walked over to him and took it. "Th-thank you."

He smiled. "Your vines are really impressive. I would love to see what you could do when you go all out. Perhaps we can train together someday?"

"Uh, yeah. Maybe." Terra rushed back to her desk. Go all out? Did he notice she was holding back? "So what do we do now? Do you think the ceremony is over?"  
"Probably," Todoroki said. "Why don't we go out for a while before heading home?"

"Sure." Terra nodded then gathered her bag. Together they walked out of the classroom. "Today was completely different than I had expected. Kind of feels like a waste of time. We got all dressed up in these uniforms only to go through some tests then sent home."

"At least we've got a competent teacher," Todoroki said.

Terra nodded. "Competent if not scary. At least he's not as scary as your dad." She paused before adding, "Do you think he'll ever come here?"

"No, not until the sports festival." A dark shadow crossed over Todoroki's eyes.

"The sports festival." Terra groaned, tilting her head back. "Not something I'm looking forward to. Do you think I can just skip it?"

"With that attitude you're going to get kicked out of school," Todoroki said. "So you had better start putting more effort into classes." He glared at her. "If you don't you'll answer directly to me."

"Fine." Terra sighed. "I'll put more effort into being amazing."

"You had better."

The two gathered up their stuff and head back to their lockers. After that they stepped out into the sun. Terra squinted before her eyes adjusted to the light. They walked side by side as they made their way away from the school and closer to the town. Several minutes later they sat down at an outside café and ordered some cool drinks. "So what do you think of our classmates?"

"Too noisy."

"Yeah. Especially that one guy with the explosive hands." Terra slipped her lips over the straw and sucked. Vanilla washed over her tongue. "I wonder why he doesn't like Midoriya. Midoriya seems like a nice guy."

"Going by what he said they seem to have known each other for a while. So probably some kind of childhood rivalry."

Terra hummed. It didn't seem like a childhood rivalry to her. The explosive boy appeared to have wanted to kill the other one. Then what did she know?

The two finished up their drinks and headed for the train station. A few people mumbled about them being UA students, but for the most part the trip was a quiet one. As Todoroki read a book, Terra pulled Birdie's leg out and placed one claw into her ear before turning on her music. The clicks and clanks of the train disappeared to soft music and falling rain.

…

Stepping off the train they headed for the Todoroki compound. A gardener was in the front yard when they stepped through the gate. He didn't even glance at them as he continued trimming back a bush. Stepping into the entranceway, the teens slipped off their shoes.

"Welcome home." Todoroki's sister greeted them with a smile.

"Fuyumi!" Terra hugged the older woman.

"Did you have a good first day?" Fuyumi asked.

"It was exhausting. Our homeroom teacher made us go through several quirk tests." Terra's shoulders slumped. "And all I could do was ramble, stiffen up, or blush when people spoke to me."

"My poor sweet baby." Fuyumi stroked Terra's hair. "Come in and rest. I'll get you some cookies and milk."

"Must you spoiler her so much?" Todoroki asked.

"No more than you spoiler her." Fuyumi smirked at her brother.

"I don't spoil her," Todoroki grumbled as he headed upstairs.

Terra giggled as Fuyumi lead her into the living room. She sat down at the short table, tucking her legs under herself. It was definitely different than her own home since Todoroki house was designed in traditional décor. But she was use to it.

"Are you staying for dinner?" Fuyumi placed a plate of cooks and the milk on the table.

"If it's all right." Terra grabbed a cookie. "Mom's working late tonight again."

"Of course it's all right. You're always welcome here." Fuyumi smiled.

"Thanks. You're the best. So why do you think I acted that way at school?"

"Sounds like you're a bit socially awkward."

"Yaoyorozu said that, too."

"It's understandable considering everything. Give it some time. You might be able to get over that the more you're around people."

Terra mulled over the older woman's words while she finished her cookies and milk. She then headed for the training room. Todoroki was already inside going through a simple stretching routine. "You work too hard sometimes."

"You know why."

"Yeah." Terra nodded. She knew all too well about how much Todoroki hated his dad and how hard he worked in trying to become a hero without using his fire. With a sigh she leaned against the wall and watched him. His moves were mesmerizing, strong, and confident as always. He had such a grace about him through both his physical moves and his quirk moves. He was so much more than his dad. If only he could see that. If only he realized that he's not his dad and his fire quirk isn't his dad's. It hurt to see Todoroki in so much pain. Tears pooled in her eyes before pain stung her forehead. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"You're doing it again." Todoroki pulled his hand back.

"Doing what?" Terra rubbed her forehead.

"Feeling sorry for me. Stop it."

Terra wrinkled her nose. "I have very right to feel sorry for you. You're my best friend. You're the only one who really understands what I've been through. I want you to be happy."

"I know. Maybe someday we'll both find happiness."

"Really? It seems like that day is no where in sight."

"It will. I promise you that. Be patient."

"Waiting is all I seem to do." Terra's eyes dropped to his chest. The sleeveless shirt hung loose over his muscles.

"At least you're out of that cave now." Todoroki smiled.

"Cave verses people always staring at me." Terra twirled a strand of hair. "I think I'd rather have the cave."

Todoroki chuckled. "You would not. You hate the cave."

"I don't hate it. It's comfortable."

"It's a prison."

Terra puffed out her cheeks, bringing her eyes back to his. "I'm never going to win an argument with you, am I?"

"No. You're not. So give up."

"Only if you stop training for a change and just hang out with me. Once classes get going full swing we're probably not going to have much down time to spend together."

"We'll have plenty of time together since we'll be studying and training together."

"Studying and training isn't the same thing as hanging out." She punched his chest.

"We're together now, aren't we?"  
"Shoto!" Terra stomped her foot with a growl. "You know what I mean!"

"Okay, okay." Todoroki held up his hands in surrender. "I'll do what you want tonight."

"Good. Now let's watch a movie."

Todoroki nodded.

They headed back downstairs into the family room, which to a degree Terra thought was pointless. The only time anyone used this room was when she was over. And then it was only her and Todoroki most of the time. If his sister were home she'd join them on occasion. Their dad never joined them. When Enji came home from hero work he might peek into the room. And that was it. Enji would only speak if he wanted something, usually tell Todoroki to join him in the training room or to stop rebelling against his _destiny_.

As Todoroki sat down Terra put in an action movie then joined him on the floor and leaned back against the cushions. The previews started rolling. Popcorn soon filled the air. A few minutes later Fuyumi trekked into the room with two large bowls of popcorn and some sodas. Fuyumi settled in to watch the movie with them.

Four movie's later, Terra's head found its way to Todoroki's shoulder. Her heavy eyelids started to fall closed seconds before Birdie started chirping. She jolted. "Birdie, answer."

Birdie's beak opened to its speaker.

"I figured you'd still be over at the Todoroki's." Tomoko's face appeared on Birdie's chest. "And from all the noise you're watching movies. On a normal day I wouldn't mind, but it's a school night. Do you have any idea how late it is?"  
"Sorry." Terra rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I'm coming." The screen on Birdie's chest winked out. "See you tomorrow, Sho-chan."

"Good night, Ter." Todoroki stood up with her.

Terra helped him clean up before reclaiming her stuff and walking down the hall to the back room. She gave him a smile before opening the door. She then entered into the closet in the room. The door clicked closed, plunging her into darkness, as she moved through the hanging coats. She tapped her toes on the wall. A red light lit up the dark room.

_"Scan start,"_ a computer voice said. The red light roamed down her body. _"Scan complete. Welcome back, Terra. Proceed to the elevator."_ The wall whooshed open.

With a sigh Terra stepped into the elevator. A second passed before the door closed and the small room started humming. A few seconds later the door opened to a dark hallway. She stepped out. A light lit up and shone down on her. She proceeded through the hall, by passing several other hallways as lights lit up her path. After passing each light the previous one shut off. Five minutes later she arrived at a dead end. Again she tapped the wall with her toes. Another red light scanned her before a second secret door opened.

Tomoko stood there, waiting with her arms crossed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to stay that late."

"It's fine." Tomoko said. "I know you're safe there. But it is a school night."

"Yeah." Terra nodded. "I'm going to have to get use to that."

"How did it go?"

"It was one of the most horrible things I have ever been through." Terra gave her mom a quick over view of the day's events as they walked through the living room to her bedroom.

"Well, I'm sure things will get better. It's only been one day."

"I doubt it, but thanks." Terra yawned. "I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Good night, Terra."

Terra closed her door and got ready for bed. As she sat down on her bed Birdie started chirping, "All Might is calling! All Might is calling!" in Toshinori's voice. She giggled at the ridiculous ringtone she loved so much. "Birdie, answer."

"Hello, my sweet niece!" Toshinori smiled and waved. "Sorry I couldn't see you today. First day was rather swamped, surprisingly. I was watching you during your training with Aizawa."

"You were there? What for?" Terra gathered her pillow under her chin.

"Of course I was there. I had to make sure you were all right and that Aizawa wasn't going to be hard on you."

"It was terrible. I wouldn't have made it through if it wasn't for Sho-chan."

"I noticed. I also noticed you took care of Young Midoriya's broken finger. I'm so proud of you. Well on your way to being a hero." The man nodded.

"So you do know him."

"Uh!" Toshinori jumped then scratched his cheek.

"Uncle Toshi?" Terra tilted her head.

"Sorry. Yes, I know him. Do you remember the news report on the sludge villain that grabbed a young boy named Bakugo?"

"Yeah, I remem-Hey!" Terra smacked herself. "That's why he felt so different!"

"Bakugo?"  
"Midoriya, the green haired boy. There was something about him that reminded me of you for some reason."

Toshinori swallowed.

"Now I know why. He used your smash move today, sort of. You saw him. I totally forgot about that news report. You met both those boys that day."

"That's right." Toshinori nodded. "And due to unforeseeable events, Young Midoriya knows about my two sides."

"He knows? Is that all right? Will he tell?" Terra's fingers tightened on her pillow. Her heart jumped into her throat.  
"No, no. Calm down now. He won't tell. That boy has a lot of respect for me. He'll keep my secret." He smiled. "He's actually a really nice boy. You should try and make friends with him."

Terra hummed. "Maybe."

"Well, I would like to stay up and talk to you more but it is a school night."

"I know. Mom already said that. I stayed over later than I should have at Sho-chan's."

"Get some sleep then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Uncle Toshi."

"Good night, sweet girl."

Birdie's chest plate slid close.

Terra ordered it to recharge as she rolled onto her back. Her mind drifted back to Midoriya and the smash he said during the ball throw. _That's it then. He only said that because he admires Uncle Toshi. He was a nice guy, if a little unsure of himself._ She hummed. _I don't know if I should trust him. He could blab to anyone about Uncle Toshi's secret. Guess I'll have to wait and see what kind of guy he really is before I declare him okay or a threat._

With a relaxing exhale, Terra closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into a peaceful sleep.

…

**Author's Notes: Going to tweak a few choice words from Bakugo, but you'll still be able to read them as he says them.**


	3. Hero Basics P1

Hero Basics

Part One

"I can't believe how good this food is!" Terra shoved bite after bite of rice into her mouth. Or maybe she was just hungry. Their morning classes consisted of normal lessons of high school. It was boring. Many times she had almost fallen asleep. She was going to have to find a snack she can slip into classes with her to keep herself awake.

"Yeah. Lunch Rush is amazing," Yaoyorozu said. "I'm so glad the school has such a good cook. We'll need all our energy for hero classes."

"Amazing! Hm?" Terra spotted Koda walking towards their table, food tray in his hands. He was glancing around the busy lunchroom. Smiling she waved to him. "Hey, want to join us? It would be great if you did. But you don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want to force you to do it."

Koda nodded with a smile then sat down across from her.

"I can't believe we're already up to training exercises," Yaoyorozu said. "I wonder what we'll be doing. And who will be teaching this class."

Terra hummed, hoping whatever they were doing it wouldn't be anything like their quirk assessment tests Aizawa put them through. Surely not all the teachers would think like him, expel a student if they didn't preform well enough.

"That's her. She's the one All Might recommended."

"Really? She's so small. Is she even five foot?"

"I think she's cute."

Terra sighed when other students started talking. Sounded like word got out that she was All Might's recommendation. She wondered who it was. Only her classmates knew about it. And a few of the staff knew. Though she didn't know if All Might would tell others about her or if they happened to come across her paperwork. She had no idea, which staff members went through the recommended students paperwork before doing the exams that showed if they were qualified for the school. For all she knew all the UA staff knew about her and All Might. Sometimes the price of knowing someone famous came with its own issues. Knowing All Might made her famous by association.

"Something wrong, Terra?" Yaoyorozu asked.  
"Huh?" Terra looked up from her lunch to find Yaoyorozu and Koda watching her with worried expressions.

Koda waved his hands, showing a smiling face before wearing a look of worry.

"Oh, sorry. I got lost in thought about me knowing All Might. Now that the press know I'm wondering how much of a problem that's going to cause for everyone."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Yaoyorozu said. "And if the press get too annoying the school will probably supply escorts for you."

"Escorts, huh? I think Sho-chan has that covered." Terra leaned over until her shoulder pressed against his. "Right? You can scare them off easily."  
"Maybe," Todoroki mumbled.

The girls chuckled while Koda smiled before they refocused on lunch.

After lunch, the group returned to their class and they all waited with excited chatter for their first hero basic training lesson. Terra sat quietly in the back of the room. She watched her classmates, making mental notes of their mannerisms. Tokoyami, the only guy in the class with the head of a bird, sat on his desk to the ire of Iida. Mineta, the guy with purple balls for hair, drooled over all the girls while making lewd comments here and there. Ashido was chatting animatedly with Hagakure. Only a few classmates were sitting quietly as they waited.

Then a familiar roar boomed through the hallway broke into her thoughts."I am coming through the door like a normal person!" All Might screamed as he leaned in the open door frame with his blue cape billowing majestically behind him.

Terra smacked herself. _Really, Uncle Toshi? What normal person comes into a room like that?_

"It's All Might!" Kaminari gasped.

"Wow, he really _is _a teacher here!" Kirishima said.

"Yes!" All Might said as he strutted to the front of the room and put his hands on his hips, posing dramatically as he often did. "I will be teaching hero basic training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basic of being a hero! What you learn today you'll carry with you throughout the rest of your hero lives! Now, let's get right into it! This is what we'll do today!" He reached behind his cape and then pulled out a white card with the word 'battle' printed on it in bold red letters. "Yes! Combat Training!"

The room erupted in cheers.

Terra twirled a strand of hair. Why did they get so excited about this? About everything at this school?

"And with that comes this!" All Might roared and pointed a remote to the wall next to him. The remote beeped when he pressed a button.

The sounds of gears clicking into place followed by the whirring of small engines came through the wall as metal shelves begin to emerge. The individual shelves were labeled with numbers corresponding with their assigned seats.

"Costumes made based on your quirk registrations and requests you sent before school started," All Might said.

"Wow!" the class cheered again.

"This is going to be so great!"

"Yes. The costumes are assigned by your seat number as you can see. So get changed then meet me at Ground Beta!" All Might said. "It's easy to find. Go out the back door of the school and follow the signs. Ready? Go!"

Desks were practically flung across the room as the most eager and energetic students clamored over each other to get to their suitcases.

Terra got up from her desk at a slow pace. Retrieving her suitcase she headed for the door. Her eyebrows rose when she found Yaoyorozu, Asui, and Koda with Todoroki waiting for her. She smiled and walked with them to the locker rooms. The excited chattering continued through the halls and into the locker rooms. She opened her suitcase and started pulling out items one by one as she slipped them on.

"Is that your suit, Terra?" Asui asked.

"Yes. It's kind of plain, isn't it? I couldn't think of what I really wanted." Terra looked down at her body. She kept her design simple. Shorts, a buckle to carry her water bottles and gloves, boots, and a sleeveless crop top. She then eyed Asui's outfit. It was simple as well but covered her entire body but for her face. "My mom helped me figure it out."

"I think it works well," Yaoyorozu said. "Since your quirk comes out of your skin it's good to have a lot of it exposed."

Terra examined Yaoyorozu's outfit. It was way more revealing than her own. The front of Yaoyorozu's outfit was split into a V, her arms and most of her shoulders were bare, and her legs were almost fully exposed. She had seen Yaoyorozu use her quirk the day before but still she thought the outfit was too revealing. But since the outfit was here she figured it didn't go against any school rules.

"We should get going," Asui said. "Don't want to be late."

The girls exited the locker room to find the boys had already finished getting dressed. Terra's eyes went right to Midoriya. She slapped a hand over her mouth and nose to hold in a snort and laughter. His costume was painfully obviously modeled after All Might, complete with a toothy smile in front of his face. Though the part that was suppose to be mimic All Might's hair looked more like bunny ears. _Uncle Toshi was right. Midoriya really is a fan boy. Does anyone else notice the connection from his outfit to All Might?_ She was going to have to talk to him at some point.

"Dude, must you girls always take so much time?" Kaminari asked. His outfit was one of the more simple ones. A simple black shirt, matching pants, gloves, and with some hearing or communication device on his right ear.

Terra continued to scan the boys' outfits, noting that Kirishima's was the most exposed. Only straps crossed his chest, revealing his muscles.

"We didn't take that much time," Jiro said placing a hand on her hip and pointed at them. "From the looks of it you all just got here too."

"Whatever. Let's get going." Kirishima jerked his thumb towards the door then took the lead.

The class followed him out. Terra finished examining the boys' costumes with one covered in head to toe body armor, colored in white and a little dark yellow on the legs and black under clothing. She assumed it was Iida since he was the only one not in sight.

"Look, there's a map." Sato pointed.

Terra looked up to find a large wooden sign showing the layout of the campus. A red arrow pointed to the place they were at. There were several other buildings on the UA campus; some could be walked to while others were far enough to need a bus.

"Looks like we go that way." Shoji, the muscle man with multiple arms, pointed down the sidewalk. The class followed his lead as they made their way to their destination. Clumping footsteps mingled with their words until they came to a massive stonewall. Over a door were the words Ground Beta in red letters trimmed in yellow.

"Well, this is it," Midoriya said as he took the lead and stepped into a tunnel.

Terra looked up at the shadowed ceiling above her. Her mind wandered over the possibility of how this place was constructed until light beamed down on her eyes. Blinking the afterimage of light from her eyes, she found they had entered into a residential area void of everyone but their class and All Might. Beside the pro hero were two boxes and a blackboard.

"They say the clothes make the man, young men and ladies!" All Might shouted with his ever gleaming smile as the students gathered at the designated spot and stepped forth, ready for their teacher to explain what they were going to be doing here. "Be fully aware, my students. From now on you are heroes! Now, shall we begin, you zygotes?!"

"Ribbit. Zygotes?" Asui pressed a finger to her chin.

"So cute!" Terra hugged the frog in-training-hero.

"Ribbit." Asui blinked multiple times and did nothing in trying to get away.

All Might laughed. "Okay, Terra, let her go."

"Sorry." Terra pouted but did as she was told.

"She's so weird," Hagakure said.

Bakugo scoffed.

"Settle down. It's time for combat training!" All Might said.

A black-gloved hand shot up into the air. "All Might!" Iida called out from under his white costume. "This is a battle center from the entrance exam, so will we be conducting urban battles again?"

"No, we're going to move ahead two steps." All Might shook his finger. "Most of the time, fighting villains takes place outside, but if you look at the total numbers, atrocious villains appear indoors at a higher rate. Imprisonment, house arrest, backroom deals and so on. In this society filled with heroes, truly intelligent villains hide in the shadows. Now here's how this is going to work. You all will be split into two groups. One group will be the heroes while the others will be the villains. It will be a two on two indoor battles where the villains will be protecting a nuclear weapon hiding somewhere inside." He pointed to the multiple story building beside them. "The heroes mission is to try to dispose of the weapon. The heroes need to either catch the villains or get the nuclear weapon back in the allotted time to win. You will be using this capture tape to subdue the villains. Teams and opponents will be determined by drawing lots."

"You're not going to pair us up yourself?" Midoriya asked.

"Much like heroes often get paired up with each other on the fly, more often than not, a hero must decide whether to wait for reinforcements or to go in on their own. That is also a type of combat training," All Might said. "You will also be equipped with communication radios so you can communicate with your teammate. And since your class has twenty-one people, a couple of you will be going twice. But don't worry. You won't go back to back. You'll have a chance to rest up. So step up and draw your lot!"

One by one the students stepped up to the boxed All Might has set out.

_Villains, huh?_ Terra thought to herself. _How would I play such a person? Could I play one?_ Then came her turn. With a swallow and a lick of her lips, Terra reached in and pulled out a ball. She wished it told her if she would play the hero or villain. But that would have to wait for a while.

All Might nodded when she showed her ball to him. "Okay, now that everyone has made their draw, I will pair up the teams by another drawing." He reached into the two boxes at the same time. "First ones up are Team A versus Team D! Team A will be the heroes and Team D will be the villains. Both teams get ready while the rest of you head to the monitor room."

The group split: those fighting stayed while the others headed for the monitor room with All Might. Terra also followed but paused to look back at Midoriya. The boy was talking to Uraraka, probably coming up with a plan of attack while Bakugo stood off to the side with a glare heavy on his masked face.

"Terra?" All Might called.

"Coming." Terra rushed up to him. She checked the distance between them and her classmates. They were several feet ahead. Still she kept her voice low as she said, "Uncle Toshi, are you sure it's a good idea for Bakugo and Midoriya to go against each other?"

"Why shouldn't they?"  
"Well, you were watching Aizawa's quirk assessment tests. Bakugo accused Midoriya of not having a quirk, but he does. Then when Midoriya threw the ball Bakugo basically attacked him. He would have it is wasn't for Aizawa." Terra glanced over her shoulder. Midoriya and Uraraka were still talking to each other. Bakugo and Iida had already gone inside the building.

"Young Bakugo is full of energy." All Might laughed. "Don't worry about it. If things get out of hand I will stop the fight."

His words didn't comfort her.

Joining the rest of class 1-A, Terra took her spot beside Todoroki as All Might headed up to the control panel in the room. A timer for fifteen minutes appeared on one of the screens. With a go ahead from All Might the first match began. They watched as Midoriya and Uraraka worked their way through the building, which was set up as a maze. And the villains could be hidden around any corner. This would be a disadvantage to anyone who didn't have a quirk that could be used for surveillance. It was an amazing set up. Right out of the gate the teachers were already pushing students to the max.

Then it all broke loose. Bakugo left guarding the weapon to attack Midoriya head on. And Bakugo was angry. Even more so than he was during their quirk assessment tests as he shot out multiple explosions at Midoriya.

Terra pinched her chin between her fingers. Bakugo's quirk was definitely amazing. Not only could he attack with such strength, he could also use the blasts to propel himself into the air. And he had it enhanced with the grenade shaped gauntlets on his wrists.

Then she saw it. It wasn't just anger in his eyes, but also a very strong pride. She wondered if his parents spoiled him because of his quirk.

The battle between the two got worse as it proceeded. Bakugo released such a large explosion that All Might threatened to stop the fight if he did it again.

Terra glanced at her uncle. She thought he should stop the fight. It was clear that Bakugo was out to hurt Midoriya as he continued to blast away at the green haired boy without mercy or signs of stopping. The blasts damaged the walls, causing them to crumble to the floor.

Midoriya and Bakugo ran up to one another. As Midoriya was about to block a punch from Bakugo head on, Bakugo launched himself up and over Midoriya's head, using his blasts to change his trajectory in midair. He fired a blast to Midoriya's back and sent the boy flying forward. Smoke covered the cameras, blocking out the screens for a few seconds. When it cleared Midoriya looked as if he would collapse to the ground.

"He doesn't look like the type to think but clearly I was wrong. He's putting a lot of thought into this," Todoroki said.

"He's crazy," Terra said.

"Getting in a clean hit requires fine lateral adjustments to the power of the explosions," Yaoyorozu said.

"He's talented. Maybe a bit too talented," Kaminari said.

Bakugo remained on the offense. Not only was he hitting hard but he was also hitting fast.

"He's not giving Midoriya time to think," Terra mumbled. "If this keeps up the hero team is going to lose. Possibly in more ways than one." Her eyes fell to All Might. His face was tense. His eyes locked onto the battle playing out on the screen before them. A silent battle was going on inside of his head.

Her eyebrows drew together. It was clear in his eyes. All Might knew he should stop the fight.

So why didn't he? Why was he letting this go on? Was it for Midoriya's sake? Bakugo's? Did it have something to do with the sludge villain the two boys faced off against months before school started? No, that couldn't be it. Her Uncle Toshi wouldn't let anyone fight like that over something that happened months ago. So what was it? What kept him from stopping the fight?

...

**Thanks for the reads and comments. Never done a socially awkward character before. So not sure how it'll go.**


	4. Hero Basics P2

Hero Basics

Part Two

"Hero team wins!"

Terra jumped at All Might's shouting. Her eyes shot to the monitor screen. While she was watching her uncle the battle had ended. A large hole had been blown in the floors and the wall where the weapon was. The hero team was on the floor while the villains remained standing. Well, Iida was kneeling, rubbing a nauseous Uraraka's back. The girl looked like she was about to hurl up her lunch.

"What the heck? The losers have barely a scratch on them and both winners are on the ground!" Kirishima said.

"As the old saying goes, they lost the battle but won the war." Tokoyami closed his eyes as he spoke.

"This school is intense," Asui said.

As the room was abuzz with the villain team's shocking win, Terra looked back at All Might. A clear look of pride was on his face as he watched Midoriya on the screen. Without a word All Might left the room to check on the students who finished fighting. Terra's mind continued to roll over and over her uncle, Midoriya, the look of pride, and the question of why All Might didn't stop the fight when it should have been. There was some kind of connection there. But what? Midoriya and All Might only met once before school started. How could such a bond form from one visit? Sure Midoriya knew All Might's secret, but surely that wouldn't cause all of this. Would it?

"I'm not surprised he had to go all out because he was up against someone like Bakugo," Kaminari said.

"But All Might should have stopped them before it got to this point," Yaoyorozu said. "Midoriya looks seriously injured."

"Naw! That was a manly fight!" Kirishima said as he pumped his fist up in the air.

"Ribbit.Weren't you the one who kept asking if he should stop them?" Asui asked.

Terra glanced at her classmate. They apparently didn't see what she saw in All Might's eyes during the fight. Maybe they were too focused on the fight to notice?

The automatic door swooshed as it slid open. Iida, Uraraka, and Bakugo with All Might tailing behind them walked into the room. All Might retook his place at the head of the class and started to review the fight. "Okay! Let's begin our review of the first battle! The heroes have won the battle but with that said, the MVP for this round is Young Iida!"

"Eh?" the class murmured while Tenya's jaw dropped.

"It's not either Ochaco or Midoriya?" Asui asked.

"Hm? Well, why is that? Does anyone know?" All Might ran his eyes over them all.

Yaoyorozu lifted her hand. "I believe that I know. It's because Iida adapted fully to the role he was given from the start. Bakugo acted on his own because of an obviously personal grudge against Midoriya. And as All Might said earlier, it is foolish to launch a large-scale attack indoors. Taking into consideration the damage he received, Midoriya's plan was also rash. As for Uraraka, she let her guard down mid-battle and her final attack was too reckless. If she treated the weapon as a real nuclear weapon, she would not have done something so dangerous. Iida had prepared for his opponent's arrival and assumed it would be a fight over the weapon, which left him unprepared for the attack that did come. The hero team only won because they took advantage of the fact that this was training. If this was a real situation then things might have ended differently."

"W-well, Young Iida had his flaws too. He could have relaxed more," All Might said with a waver to his voice. "But... yes, that was correct. Great work, Young Yaoyorozu!"

"One must start with the basics to develop depth of learning. We must strive to devote ourselves wholeheartedly," Yaoyorozu said with her hand on her hips. "Otherwise, we cannot become top heroes."

Terra noted this girl was smart.

"All right! Let's move on to the next group and another building since this one is too damaged to use again. Tackle this training after thinking about what we just talked about!" All Might said.

"Good luck, Sho-chan. Not that you need it." Terra waved as her friend and his teammate headed for the door.

Todoroki nodded and left the room.

"This is going to be over in seconds." Terra leaned back against the wall.

"What do you mean?" Asui asked.

"Sho-chan is going to freeze them in place." Terra smiled.

"How do you know that?" Sato asked.

Terra grinned, crossing her arms. "Well, because we've been friends for years, you know. I know how he thinks. And he knows how I think. Why fight when you can easily subdue your opponents? He's really amazing. He's strong. And he's-"

"Take it easy, Terra." Yaoyorozu placed her hand on Terra's shoulder.

"Sorry." Terra's cheeks flushed. "I was babbling again, huh?"  
"You are so lucky to have known him all your life." Ashido's shoulders sagged. "I wish I did. He's so handsome."

"You think he's handsome?" Terra's eyebrows rose.

"Best looking boy in school," Ashido said. "How can you not think he's cute?"  
"Well… he's just Sho-chan to me." Terra tilted her head. Her eyes went to her best friend. How good looking was he? She hummed with no idea how to answer that question. Sure having two different hair and eye colors were rare, but did that make someone more attractive than one who didn't? She had no idea how to answer that question either.

Todoroki and Shoji entered into the building. Shoji formed ears on his extensions. The two exchanged words before Todoroki continued on through the building as Shoji headed outside.

"Wah! Hagakure is taking off her gloves and boots!" Kaminari shook a finger at another monitor. "She's going to be completely invisible!"

"Ahhhh! What a waste!" Mineta said with a defeated sigh then drool poured from his lips. "If only the girls we can actually see had to do that. Then I would finally be able to see b-"

"What are you saying?!" Jiro shouted and gave Mineta a hard punch across the face.

_So we have two perverts in class. Though Mineta was clearly worse than Kaminari._ Terra glanced at the two boys before looking back at the monitor.

Todoroki placed his hand on a wall. Ice shot out from his hand, covering the walls and floor until the villain team was frozen to the floor. With zero resistance Todoroki walked into the room with the weapon and touched it.

The air in the monitor room dropped. Terra rubbed her arms as she wrapped leaves around herself. Her breath plumed from her mouth. "Geez, Sho-chan."

"H-h-hero T-t-team wins!" All Might's teeth chattered as everyone started to huddle together to keep warm.

Todoroki then placed his left palm on the frozen weapon and the ice began to melt and formed steam.

"W-wow!" Sero said. "Does he have heat too?"

"What's up with that quirk?" Kaminari asked.

"As expected of someone who got in through recommendations," Asui said. "Terra was right. That was over quickly."

"All right. Everyone return and let's review!" All Might said into the microphone.

"What's to review? Todoroki won that all by himself!" Sero shook his head. "There was nothing anyone can do against a move like that."

Sero was right. Terra knew that better than anyone. She knew not a single person in her class would be able to take Todoroki down. When serious, Todoroki could take them all down without breaking a sweat.

"You ready for your turn?" All Might placed his hand on Terra's shoulder.

Terra shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then get going." All Might nodded.

Terra nodded back then turned to find her teammate smiling brightly at her.

"Hello, Mademoiselle," Aoyama said with a wink. "I am flattered to be your partner."

Terra eyed his bright costume. "You look silly."

"Eh?" Aoyama blinked.

"Terra, mind your tongue," All Might said.

"Right!" Surprise rolled up her face. She bowed to Aoyama. "I'm sorry!"

"Quite all right. Shall we go?" Aoyama gestured to the door.

Not trusting her own mouth, Terra nodded then walked with stiff legs to the door. They reached the entrance to the building where the opponents were gearing up before heading inside. She picked up an earpiece and put it in place. With luck of the draw she was to play the part of the hero.

"Ready? Begin!" All Might's voice rang above them through hidden speakers.

Terra and Aoyama stepped inside the building. She scanned the hall. Though the training sessions had moved to another building, since the first teams all but demolished the first one, they were built the same. All floors were built as mazes. Their _enemy_ could be anywhere.

For a moment she wondered why the buildings were mazes. Then she realized in a real situation like this a hero wouldn't know the layout of the building. And there might not be time to get blueprints. Heroes had to be smart and fast.

"So what are we going to do? I know we have to find what floor they are on first. What about battle plans? Let's see…" Terra thought about their opponents as she cupped her chin between her fingers. "Their names are… Shoji and Sato. They're both really strong. I'm not sure what to do. I'm not sure I can make my vines thick enough to hold them. I'm sure they can easily rip through my vines. There's got to be something."

"My, my, rather tense are we?" Aoyama asked.

Terra jumped then rubbed her head. "Sorry. Apparently I'm socially awkward. I have no idea what I'm doing when around people. Words just pour out of my mouth. Like it did with your costume. Sorry about that again. I know we made our costumes in our tastes. That's what I did with mine. So if you like it then-"

"Terra, please, stop babbling and get on with the exercise." All Might's voice was laced with a sigh.

"Yes, sir! Sorry!" Terra jumped.

Aoyama cleared his throat. "Anyway, we should find them. It'll take some time so we'll have plenty opportunities to figure out a battle strategy."

Terra nodded. They slipped down the hall, cautiously peering around corners before moving on. "Any ideas yet? By the way, what is your quirk again? A beam?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Aoyama peered up the stairs before going up them. "I can shoot my laser for a second before it hurts my tummy. What about you? Your quirk is plant based. Surely you can do something with that."

"I don't know." Terra looked at her fingers. "As you saw, I can form vines and leaves from my body. I can also form small flowers and thorns but that won't be much help in close combat since they're stronger than I am. Well, I guess I can throw flowers into the room and hope they have allergies."

"Seems our best choice would be to wrap them up in vines."

"True. But as I said before their quirks are strength based. Well, Shoji's is surveillance, but he's still strong with multiple arms. They could rip through my vines like paper."

"We are at a serious disadvantage when it comes to fighting head on. Looks like our only chance will be to sneak attack them," Aoyama said.

Terra hummed. That might work, though she wasn't sure. Since they, the _heroes_, knew what the _villains_ quirks were then it would be the same in reverse. Shoji and Sato were probably expecting a sneak attack. "Doesn't look like we have any other options. So how about you rush in and distract them with your laser then I'll wrap them up in my vines the best I could while you run for the weapon?"

"Oui." Aoyama nodded.

With a plan in place the two continued to trek through the floors until they finally found their quarry on the seventh floor. They tucked around a corner before giving a nod and charged forward. Aoyama went first. He charged for the room with Terra quickly following. Aoyama's laser shot through the room. Terra threw out her hands, vines formed from them and wrapped around the _enemy_. Aoyama shot forward.

Shoji and Sato struggled in the vines for two seconds before bursting free. Sato threw out his arm, catching Aoyama on the neck. The laser boy fell onto his back and didn't move.

Terra squeaked when the _enemy_ turned to her. She stood ready as Sato took a step towards her. She licked her lips. Was he trying to draw her forward? What was their battle plan? They took out Aoyama with one hit. Were they going to do that to her, too?

A buzzer broke through the air followed by All Might's voice. "The match is over. The villain team wins. Return to the monitor room."

"At least it's over." Terra's eyes dropped to Aoyama. "Is he all right?"  
"He'll be fine." Sato pulled the unconscious boy on his shoulder and headed for the door.

They entered into the monitor room together.

"Well done," All Might said while clapping. "You all did great."

"Thank you, sir," Sato and Shoji said.

Terra shrugged. "It wasn't great on our part. We had a poor strategy and lost."

"You are partly wrong, Terra. Your battle strategy is often used in real battles. However, there is more than one way to do this." All Might placed a fist on his hip while holding up a finger. "It was clear to everyone that Shoji and Sato had the upper hand here with their quirks and their strength. You and Young Aoyama would have stood a better chance at winning if you had lured one of them away. Two on one would have given the heroes a better chance at winning. And you over looked one very important fact: Young Shoji's quirk. He heard everything you two said to each other. So he and Young Sato were prepared for your attack."

Terra puffed out her cheeks. She had even spoken about his quirk. How did she miss that?

"Don't fret about it." All Might patted her head. "You did very well on your first try. You still have a lot of growing to do."

"Yeah. Sure." Terra shrugged before heading off to take her place beside her best friend.

"Mademoiselle," Aoyama called.

Terra turned back to him.

"I know we didn't win but I am glad I got the chance to pair with you." He smiled. "Perhaps we can do this again at a later date. When we have gotten stronger."

"Sure. Why not?" Terra shrugged. "I still think you and your costume are weird." She smiled. "But I like you."

"And I like you." Aoyama took her hand and kissed it.

Terra tensed and squeaked at the warm lips against her skin before breaking out into nervous laughter.

"First time getting a kiss from a man?" Aoyama asked.

Terra nodded.

"Perhaps you'll get more one day." Aoyama winked at her before walking away.

Stiff bodied, Terra walked over to Todoroki.

"Hey, Terra?" Asui looked at the water bottles on Terra's hips. "I've been meaning to ask. What's with the water bottles?"  
"Huh? Oh, these?" Terra looked down. "They're to keep me hydrated, of course."

"Ribbit?" Asui pressed her finger to her chin.

"I can detach from my vines and leaves and such from my body." Terra formed a vine from her pinky and detached it, her finger reformed in its place. "See? I lose water when I do this. The more plants I use the more water I lose. I need to keep hydrated because of my quirk."

"I see." Asui nodded.

"Then, does that mean you're also weak against fire?" Mineta asked.

"Yup." Terra nodded.

"Should you be revealing such weakness?" Kaminari asked.

"It's not like it's a secret." Terra swirled a strand of hair. "I have yet to hear of a plant base quirk without these weaknesses."

Bakugo scoffed. "Pathetic! No wonder you lost your fight! With a weak quirk like that you'll never make it as a hero! I expected more from someone who was recommended by All Might! You're nothing but a pathetic disappointment, Plant Face!"

"Plant Face?" Terra blinked as Todoroki glared and tensed beside her. "Whatever. I don't care what you think." She elbowed Todoroki. His glare vanished. His body relaxed.

"What was that?!" Bakugo screamed. "You wanna fight with me, Plant Face?!"

"Fight? Why would I want to do that? It's obvious you're far stronger than I am." Terra smiled.

"That's right! I am stronger than you! Don't you forget it!" Bakugo stalked off to the other side of the room. "And stop smiling like that! It's creepy, you idiot!"

"Creepy?" Terra blinked.

"That guy." Yaoyorozu sighed. "But he does have a point. We all expected better from someone All Might recommended."

Terra shrugged. "Yeah. Whatever. This is only the beginning of school. And now I'm ready to go home."

"Terra," All Might said in a soft tone. She ducked her head, knowing what he was going to say next. "Perhaps you should tell them."

"Tell us what?" Mineta asked. "Are you keeping some hideous, dark secret from us?"

Terra gritted her teeth unable to look at anyone. A strong hand squeezed her shoulder. She glanced up to see All Might smiling at her. Movement pulled her eyes to her other side. Todoroki moved closer to her. He nodded at her. She sighed. "Fine. Let's just say I was involved in an incident when I was a kid that hurt people. A lot of people. Because of that I lack confidence in using my quirk. All Might sees hero potential inside of me. He thought coming here would help me over come that time."

"I did think it was odd that you didn't throw the ball very far during Mr. Aizawa's quirk assessment tests." Yaoyorozu cupped her chin. "Now it makes sense."

Terra scratched her neck. "Yeah. I guess."

"Does Mr. Aizawa know about this?" Hagakure asked.

"He does. I told him about the incident," All Might said. "He's going to help her during classes. The principle and Recovery Girl also know."

"Ribbit. I'm glad," Asui said. "I wouldn't want you to get kicked out because of something that happened to you as a kid. With your quirk you'll be a great asset to the hero world."

"Yeah!" Kirishima nodded. "You'll be able to rescue people easily with that awesome quirk you have."

"Uh, thanks, guys." Terra adverted her eyes and rubbed her arm. "Can we please move on? I hate talking about it."

"Right. Let's get back to work." All Might nodded. "Next teams get ready."

Terra walked to the back of the room. Lending against the wall she wrapped her arms around herself. Todoroki followed. He pressed his shoulder against hers, letting her know he was right there.


	5. Class Rep & Threats

Class Rep & Threats

Terra skipped along, humming, with Todoroki walking beside her. The tune died in her throat when they crested the hill. A large crowd was gathered at the front gate of the school. "Hm? What's going on here?"

Words reached their ears the closer they got to the crowd.

"Hey you! Please tell us how are All Might's classes?"

"What's it like to train under the greatest hero of all time?"

"Are you a big fan of his?"

"What has he taught you?"

"The press," Todoroki said. "I'm surprised it took them this long to come here."

"Hm?" A man noticed them standing there. His eyes widened. "It's her! Terra Tanaka!"

The press stampeded over to her.

Terra leaned backwards when multiple microphones and recorders and cellphones were shoved in her face.

"Is it true that you were recommended by All Might to attend UA?"  
"What is your connection to All Might?"

"Did he train you? Does he know your family?"

"Are you related to him?"  
"How does All Might differ in personal live and as a teacher?"

Terra blinked rapidly. Her eyes locked onto a single microphone, the dark circles grew large in her eyes. The press's words were distant in her ears until they faded away completely. The dark circles continued to grow until everything went black.

…

Todoroki sighed as Terra's body became stiffer than a steel rod. Her eyes remained locked onto a microphone as the press continued to hound her with question after question. He wasn't sure if her freezing was better than babbling. Either way he needed to get her out of here.

"Hey, are you okay?"  
"Did she freeze?"

"Is this really All Might's recommendation? She's not what I expected."

"Maybe she's camera shy?"

With another sigh Todoroki picked Terra up under his arm, her body remaining stiff, and pushed his way through the crowd. "Move. We're going to be late for class."

"What? You have ten minutes before class. Don't try and run away from us."

"Yeah! We have a right to know about her relationship with All Might." The press tightened around them.

"Answer our questions! The people have a right to know!"

Todoroki glared.

The press jumped back.

Todoroki took the opportunity to get behind the school gate and into the building. With the press no longer a problem, he sat Terra down beside her locker. "Terra?" He snapped his fingers in front of her face. No reaction.

"Is she okay?" Ojiro walked over to them.

"She froze when the press spoke to her," Todoroki said.

"I should have known." Ojiro looked back at the door. "I got bombarded with questions, too. The teachers should be taking care of this. I wonder why they haven't yet."

Todoroki snapped his fingers again and still got no reaction from Terra.

"Maybe you should take her to Recovery Girl," Ojiro said. "Maybe she has something that'll help."

Todoroki nodded and picked his friend up again.

Reaching Recovery Girl's room, he knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Todoroki entered, disinfectant wafted into his nose. "Excuse me."

"Oh my. What happened with her?" Recovery Girl turned away from her desk.

"She froze when the press asked questions. Can you do something for her?"

Recovery Girl hummed before hopping off her chair. She meandered over to a cabinet and opened it then walked over to the teens. "Here, snap this then hold it under her nose."

Todoroki took the smelling salt from the nurse. It snapped as he bent it. He held it under his nose. A few seconds later Terra shook and shoved his hand away.

"What the heck is that smell? It's so gross."

"Good to see you're awake now." Recovery Girl took the smelling salt from Todoroki and tossed it in the trash.

"Huh?" Terra blinked as she looked around the room. "Weren't we outside?"

"You froze when the press started asking you questions." Todoroki shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I did?" Terra rubbed her neck and laughed. "Well, that was odd. But then I've never faced the press before so maybe it's not."

"You two go on now. Class will start soon." Recovery Girl waved at them.

"Right. Thank you for your help. Sorry to cause you trouble." Terra bowed.

"It was no trouble at all." Recovery Girl nodded.

The teens left the room. Terra pinched Todoroki's sleeve and gave a small tug. "Sorry to cause you trouble, too."

"It wasn't your fault."

"I hope we don't have to go through that everyday now."

"We won't. The staff will get rid of the press."

"I hope so. I don't want to have to go through that again."

The two students sat down before Aizawa passed out their test results from hero training. Bakugo got scolded for acting out while Midoriya was scolded for breaking his arm again.

"And, Terra," Aizawa said. "I understand your past, but that doesn't excuse you from slacking off. Try harder."

"Yeah sure, Aizawa," Terra mumbled.

"That's Mr. Aizawa. Mind your manners."

Terra huffed.

"All right then." Aizawa took his place behind the podium with a heavy sigh. "Let's get down to homeroom business. Sorry about the late notice but today, I'll have you..."

Terra glanced at her classmates as they tensed up. Heavy tension filled the air. Were they really that scared of Aizawa?

"… decide on a class representative," Aizawa finished.

Everyone slumped in their chairs, relieved it was normal school stuff. But the relax state didn't last long as they started throwing up their hands and shouting.

"I want to be class rep! Pick me!" Kirishima waved his hand.

"Me too!"

"I want to do it!"

"Same!"

"I'll be a great class rep!"

Almost everyone raised their hand. Those who did were herself, Todoroki, and Midoriya. Then Midoriya timidly lifted his hand.

"You don't want to be the class representative?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Me? No way. I couldn't care less about it." Terra waved her hand in dismissal. "I mean I've never done it before. I'd have no clue what I'd be doing."

"Hm? Didn't you have class reps in your junior high school?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"No, I didn't. I was homeschool," Terra said.

"Really?" Yaoyorozu's eyes widened. "I guess that might explain why you're socially awkward, or you were born that way."

"Is that bad?"

"Not at all. Everyone can't be a social butterfly. For some it's normal to be socially awkward. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Nor is it something you have to fix."

Terra rested her chin in her palm and hummed in thought. Maybe she should do some research on social awkwardness. "So what exactly does a class rep do?"

"They represent the class. In normal schools a class rep would do a lot of after school duties. But here in hero school it's more than that. By being a class rep you can catch the eye of pro heroes. It's a good chance to show leadership skills," Yaoyorozu said.

"Leadership. I will definitely pass on that." Terra put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her seat.

"Really? You might not have done it before but it's a good chance to get some experience."

"Naw. I'm good. I'm definitely not the leader type."

"Everyone, be quiet!" Iida shouted over everyone's chatter. The room went silent for a moment as everyone looked at him. He stood from his desk, his hand raised high in the air. "This is a task heavy with responsibility where you must carry and pull everyone's weight. Just because you'd like to do it doesn't mean you can. It's a high office that requires the great esteem and trust of those around you. The only truly worthy leader will emerge from a democratic choice reflecting the will of the people. Which is why this must be settled by a vote."

Terra could tell from his words he was being sincere. But with his hand raised high in the air it was clear that he too wanted the position as class rep.

"It's still too early to have developed trust in each other," Asui said.

"Besides, everyone will just vote for themselves," Kirishima said.

"That's precisely why the person who does manage to earn multiple votes will be the truly appropriate person for the job," Iida said. "Is that all right, Mr. Aizawa?"

"As long as you decide by the end of my nap." Aizawa zipped himself up in his sleeping back and laid down in the corner.

"All right, everyone," Iida said. "Pull out a piece of paper and write down your votes. Then we'll pass them to the front of the rows and count them."

Paper rustled as everyone did at Iida had said. It only took a couple minutes for everyone to cast their vote and pass them forward.

Terra sat at her desk and waited for it to all be over.

"You're really not going to vote?" Todoroki turned in his seat so he could look at her.

"I don't see the point since I'm not participating." Terra shrugged. "Besides my vote would be for you. Not really fair considering how we've known each other for so long."

Todoroki nodded.

Once all the votes had been gathered, Iida volunteered to count then write the results on the board.

"One vote." Iida sighed with defeat.

"Th-three votes for me?!" Midoriya trembled with excitement and shock.

Terra twirled a strand of hair, wondering how Midoriya got three votes and Yaoyorozu got two. She too thought everyone would vote for himself or herself. So how did Midoriya win?

"Why Deku?! Who voted for him?!" Bakugo slammed his hands on his desk and stood.

Terra scanned the room for any signs of who voted for Midoriya. The only reaction she found was Uraraka whistling. _She must have voted for Midoriya. Who else? _She saw no other signs. Almost everyone else admitted to have voted for themselves.

"Well, it was better than voting for you," Sero said, which earned him a harsh glare from the explosive boy.

"What did you say?!" Bakugo's teeth sharped.

"Okay." Aizawa sat up and crawled out of his sleeping bag and took back his position at the podium. "Well, looks like Midoriya is your class rep and Yaoyorozu is your deputy class rep."

"S-seriously?" Midoriya said through chattering teeth. He and Yaoyorozu made their way up front and stood side by side.

Terra compared the two. Yaoyorozu held herself with confidence while Midoriya's head was lowered, his body trembling. _He doesn't look very comfortable up there. Can he really represent the class?_

"Okay. Now that business is done, everybody go to lunch." Aizawa shoved his hands in his pockets and left the room.

"Well, that was easier than expected." Terra stood with Todoroki and headed for the door. "Uh, congratulations, Yaoyorozu."

"Thanks." Yaoyorozu smiled.

"I hope you can, uh, full fill your duties as deputy or whatever." Terra rolled her hand in the air as if it would help get her words out. "Sorry. I guess I'm not good at this kind of thing."

"It's all right. I understand what you mean. I'll do my best."

The lunchroom was buzzing with chatter as the small group got their food and sat down. Everything was normal and calm like the first couple of days. Then, without warning, an alarm shrilled, cutting through the chattering students.

"There has been a level three security breach," announced a robotic voice over the intercom. "All students please evacuate calmly."

Thumping footsteps and panic spread through the room as students bolted for doors.

"Level three security breach?" Terra asked.

"It means someone is trespassing on school grounds," Yaoyorozu said.

"Who would be stupid enough to trespass on a school full of h-" Icy concern ran through Terra's veins. Her eyes shot to Todoroki's. He had the exact same thought she did. Villains.

"Let's go." Todoroki stood, grabbed her wrist, and took off towards a door that wasn't blocked by students.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" Yaoyorozu called.

Neither stopped as they left the lunchroom. Turning the corner they raced up the stairs.

"What do we do?" Terra asked. "Were are all the teachers? Do you think they're outside?"

"I don't know. They-" Todoroki jerked to a pause, his eyes locked out the window before he walked over to it.

"What is it?" Terra glanced out. A group of people were crowded around the front door. "Is that… the press from this morning?"

"Looks like it."

"They're still here?" Terra eyes wandered from the press to the gate. She knitted her eyebrows. The gate was crumbled onto the ground. "Wait. Look at the gate. Has it been destroyed?"

Todoroki's eyebrows narrowed.

"Did the press force the door open by a quirk?"

"Someone had to have. There's no other way they could have gotten through." A moment of silence passed between them as they stared at the crumbled gate. Then flashing lights and sirens filled their senses. "Looks like the teachers called the police."

"Should we go back to lunch?"

Todoroki nodded. They headed back down the stairs. By the time they got back to the lunchroom most of the other students has returned as well.

"So where did you two run off to?" Yaoyorozu sat down.

Terra opened her mouth. Before she could attempt an answer Todoroki said, "We escaped like everyone else. That's all. Now eat. We don't have much time before classes start again."

Yaoyorozu looked to Terra as if the green haired girl would be clearer.

Terra shrugged. "It is what it is."

"Right."

Terra ignored the curious looks Yaoyorozu was giving them and tuned her ear into the others around them. The students chattered about what happened, some said something about Iida and an exit, but no one mentioned anything about the gate being crumbled. Did no one else see it? Or did the teachers tell them some story or another about it? Either way she was sure she'd get an answer at some point. So she refocused on her food before heading back to class.

Once everyone was back in their seats and Aizawa hovering in the corner, Yaoyorozu and Midoriya stood at the head of the classroom. Midoriya fidgeted while Yaoyorozu stood still.

Yaoyorozu cleared her throat. "Ahem. Let's proceed, class rep."

"R-right. Well, uh, we need to decide on the other class officers." Midoriya continued to fidget as he addressed the class. He then gulped and looked up. "But first, can I say something? I think that Iida should be the class rep. He was really good at handling the emergency that happened during lunch. And he did it in such a cool way. I think it would be best for Iida to be our class rep."

"I'm good with that," Kirishima said as he turned to smile at the stunned Iida. "It's true that Iida was a big help at the cafeteria today. He took control like a man."

"Yeah." Kaminari nodded. "And he kind of looked like the person on the emergency exit signs, didn't he?"

"Stop wasting time," Aizawa said from his corner. "Just hurry up and decide so we can move on."

Tenya got up to his feet, arms straight at his sides. "I am honored to be nominated. Thank you, Midoriya. And from this day forth, I, Tenya Iida, promise to do my best to carry out the duties of class representative!"

"We're counting on you, Emergency Exit!" Kirishima shouted.

"Emergency Exit Iida!" Kaminari cheered.

"Emergency Exit Iida? What did we miss?" Terra asked.

"Iida saw the press outside and noticed they were the ones who tripped the alarm. With Uraraka's help he flew over everyone's head. He stopped when he slammed against the wall. The posture he took was that of the man on the emergency exit sign," Kirishima explained.

"Oh." Terra's eyes drifted from the redhead to Midoriya. For some reason she wasn't surprised at the boy stepped down from the position of class representative. With all his fidgeting he didn't seem to fit the part. She was going to have to talk to him at some point, learn more about his character.

And she got her chance once class ended. Todoroki said he had something he needed to take care of and that he would meet her outside. So Terra rushed to get outside so she could catch Midoriya before he went home. Leaning against a pillar, she watched as the students left the campus before she spotted the boy she was waiting for. Iida and Uraraka were walking with him. "Hey, Midoriya, can I talk to you for a moment? Alone."

"Huh? Oh, sure. I'll catch up with you two." Midoriya smiled at his friends. They nodded and headed on without him.

Terra glanced around. A few students were still on campus but were too far away to hear them. She brought her eyes to Midoriya. "So you know about All Might's weakened form."

"Huh? Uh, what are you talking about?" Midoriya's eyes darted everywhere before landing back on her. He rubbed his head with a nervous laugh. "It's not like that. I mean I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me. He told me you two had a talk after the run in with the sludge villain. I don't know exactly what happened that day between you two, but I do know that All Might wouldn't have told you about his two forms if he didn't trust you." Terra gave him a sharp glance. "However, I do not trust you at this point. If you do anything to hurt All Might you will pay for it."

Midoriya froze.

Terra watched the wheels spinning in his eyes. He was thinking about something. But what she didn't know. Probably never would know.

"That's unexpected."

Terra twitched. "What do you mean?"

"Normally, you would be rambling on and on. But now you're are solid, firm in your meaning." His expression softened. "I have no intention of hurting him. I have admired All Might my entire life."

"I don't care. I only want him to remain safe."

"He means a lot to you."

"More than you will ever know." Terra wrapped her arms around herself.

"You can trust me, Terra. I will keep All Might's secret."

Terra searched his eyes as they filled with determination. He seemed sincere. If only she could be sure. She still knew nothing about him. Except for those she was close to, she had no idea how to tell if someone was lying.

"Terra." Todoroki walked up to them. "Is something wrong?"

"No. It's nothing." Terra pushed off the pillar and walked away.


	6. Training Interrupted

Training Interrupted

"Rescue training." Terra hummed as she rocked back on her heels. The afternoon sun warmed her skin as clouds floated lazily overhead. "Do you think we'll be rescuing real people or fakes?"

"We'll know soon enough." Todoroki stood beside her with his hands in his pockets.

"Relaxed as always." Terra scanned their class. Everyone was standing around the parking lot, waiting to load up on the bus that's going to take them to their off campus training area. Wherever that was. Aizawa didn't give them much information when he told them of this training session. All he said was to get dressed and meet him outside. Her eyes locked with Midoriya. He had been civil to her all day. Which surprised her a bit. She had expected him to ignore her or cower away after she had threatened him.

"Hey, Terra." Midoriya walked over. "Are you ready for rescue training?"  
"I guess." Terra shrugged.

"Deku!" Uraraka rushed over to them. "You're wearing your gym clothes?"

"Yeah," Midoriya said with a nod. "They got ripped up during the combat training. I'm waiting for the support team to fix it." His eyes lifted back to Terra.

Uraraka looked between Midoriya and Terra. "Um, did something happen between you two?"

"What?! Of course not! Nothing at all!" Midoriya waved his hands.

Terra's eyebrows lifted. _So he didn't tell his friends about what I said to him. Surprising._

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

"Class 1-A!" Iida shouted, using stiff-arm movements as if he were an air traffic controller guiding a plane. All he needed were those long flashlight things then he would really fit the part. "Form two lines by your student numbers in order to make boarding the bus go smoothly!"

"Iida going full throttle," Midoriya said.

"Two lines!" Tenya shouted.

The class lined up. Terra took her place behind Todoroki.

"I wonder what kind of rescue we'll be doing." Hagakure waved her gloved hands in the air. "Do you think we'll be working individually or as teams?!"

"I hope it's a team exercise." Ashido squealed. "I don't know how well my quirk would be by myself. If it were a natural disaster type of scenario, it would be best to be paired with Yaoyorozu for the sake of adaptability. But I also wouldn't mind pairing up Todoroki. He's so cute!"

Terra blew air through her nose. That wasn't the first time she had heard a girl talking about Todoroki like that. Many girls seemed to find Todoroki cute. He got a lot of stares from girls when they walked to and from school. Though she was sure he wouldn't give them the time of day. He was far too focus on becoming a hero and ticking off his dad. She glanced around, hoping to see All Might. But the pro hero was nowhere to be seen. _I guess he's meeting us there._

The line started to move, pulling Terra from her thoughts. When Terra stepped onto the bus she found Iida with his head hanging low and surrounded by a depressive aura. It took her a moment to realize why. He had wanted everyone to sit beside the person they were standing beside. The seats wouldn't allow it. The first half of the bus had bench style seating on both sides of the isle while the second half were normal seats.

"Just... sit anywhere you want," Iida mumbled.

Terra chuckled. She couldn't help it. The boy seemed so utterly defeated by bus seats.

"Okay. Everyone sit down," Aizawa said.

Terra took her place beside Todoroki and watched as her classmates as they spoke about each other, mostly Midoriya and Bakugo, before she pulled out one of Birdie's claws and placed it in her ear. Soft music and rainwater flowed into her ear, drowning out everyone's voices. She turned her eyes to the window, watching and memorizing everything they passed.

Half an hour later, the bus pulled up to a dome roof building. Above the door rested the golden letters: USJ. The students exited the bus and followed their teacher where another pro hero was waiting for them. Terra scanned the hero. Whoever they were, they were dressed in a head to toe suit that resembled a space suit. Large black eyes were sitting on the dome shaped helmet.

"Everyone. I have been waiting for you." The pro waved.

"Wow! It really is the Space Hero Thirteen!" Midoriya exclaimed. "The incredible hero who has rescued tons of people from disasters!"

"Oh! I love Thirteen!" Uraraka cheered.

Terra continued to shift and twitch and twiddled her fingers. She had hoped All Might decided to meet them here.

"All right, come on inside." Thirteen waved for them to follow her. They stepped onto a walkway leading to a large staircase. Behind the pro, and down a large staircase, was several areas made of different material. Pushing up on her toes, Terra tried to see each and every area. Unfortunately she was unable it. All she could see were a couple buildings and some trees. She shifted back and forth on her feet and twiddled her fingers, wishing she could get closer so she could examine the space she was in.

"A shipwreck... a landslide... an urban fire... a windstorm... and many other disaster scenarios," Thirteen said as she spread her arms out to her sides. "It is a specialized training ground that I designed with different types of accidents and disasters. Welcome to the Unforeseen Simulation Joint."

"Whoa!" the students gasped as Aizawa walked to the front. He leaned into close to the other pro and exchanged words.

Terra watched them for a moment before moving closer to the edge of the platform. There she stopped fidgeting as she scanned the vastness of the USJ. As Thirteen had said there were multiple disaster areas along with a fountain in the center of the dome. It didn't appear to have people in it, other than themselves. So she assumed they weren't going to be rescuing any real people, at least not yet.

"Okay! Let's see, before we begin, let me say one thing or maybe two. Make that three. Or four?" Thirteen mumbled as she counted off the number of things she wanted to talk about. "Five? Six? Seven?"

"Will you get on with it?" Aizawa asked.

"Oh, right." Thirteen raised her hand. "Everyone, I'm sure you are aware of my quirk, Black Hole. I can suck up anything and turn it to dust."

"Yes," Midoriya said while Ochaco nodded next to him. "You've been able to use that quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters right?"

"Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily," Thirteen said. "Some of you also have quirks like that, right? In today's society, personal quirks have been certified and stringently regulated, so that doesn't seem to be a problem at first glance. However, please do not forget that there are many quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa physical fitness test, you found out about the possibility of your own hidden powers and with All Might's person-to-person combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using those powers against others. This class is a fresh start. You shall learn how to use your quirks to save people's lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here with the understanding that you have powers in order to help others." She bowed. "That is all. Thank you for listening."

"That was inspiring!"

"Bravo! Bravo!"

The students clapped and cheered at her speech.

"All right then... first-" Aizawa started to say.

Suddenly, the long strip of lights that lined the dome ceiling flickered and sizzled with energy. The fountain spurted multiple times before the lights went off, casting a shadow on the large room with only the sun left as a source of light through the frosted glass above them and from windows. The fountain returned back to its normal spray, a dark, black hole emerged in front of the curtain of water. It shifted then the blackness spread out until it became a black wall right in front of the fountain.

Terra tensed when people emerged from the darkness.

"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa shouted. "Thirteen, protect the students!"

"Is this like the entrance exam where the lesson's already started?" Kirishima asked.

Terra inched her way back. She paused when she heard Aizawa say, "I guess the trespassing the other day was the work of these scumbags."

Terra paused. Did that really mean a villain broke the school gate? Her heart hammered in her chest. Sweat gathered on her palms. But why? Was someone after a student? Maybe one of the pro heroes? Or maybe they were-

"Terra."

Terra jumped when a hand landed on her shoulder. She spun to find Todoroki had moved closer to her. His eyes were stone, his body tense.

"It'll be fine. Aizawa is already on it." Todoroki nodded towards their teacher.

Terra's eyes automatically followed. Aizawa's scarf billowed out and his hair waved up into the air. Terra peered back at the villains. Over fifty villains emerged from the black void. Two hung back at the fountain, one of them stood taller than the rest with large muscles and a beak. The void shrank until it formed a smoky black figure with narrow yellow eyes. None of them looked familiar. Which, she hoped, was a good thing. If they weren't known then that meant they were low time villains. Again she hoped. They had a better chance of surviving this if these villains were nothing more than low life thugs. Even with two pro heroes around the seer amount of these villains was enough to over throw the heroes if they executed the right plan. Her eyes locked onto the warp man, especially if that one separated the heroes.

"Villains? How is that possible?! There's no way they could get into a hero school!" Kirishima gripped his fists.

"Let's move." Todoroki put his arm around Terra's waist and pulled her back to the group. "Did they only appear here or around the whole school? Either way, if the alarms are not responding that means they have someone with a quirk that can block or disable them. An isolated area separated from the main campus during a time when a class is supposed to be here. They might be fools but they're not dumb. This infiltration was planned with some sort of goal in mind."

Terra swallowed as Todoroki shoved her behind him. Her head pounded. They had to get out of here.

"Thirteen, evacuate the students and try calling the school," Aizawa said. "These villains must have one with a quirk that has shut off the alarms. It's possible someone with radio-wave-type powers is interfering. Kaminari! You try contacting the school with your quirk, too!"

"Right." Kaminari touched the device on his right ear.

"Terra, use Birdie," Todoroki said. "See if you can get through."

"Right." Terra jumped. "Birdie, code yellow, one three five."

"Error," Birdie chirped. "Code not accepted."

"Looks like whoever disabled the alarm system is effecting Birdie, too," Terra said.

"Mr. Aizawa, with this many people, even if you can erase their quirks a frontal battle would be bad," Midoriya said. "You can't handle it."

"You can't be a hero with just one trick," Aizawa said. "I'm leaving it to you, Thirteen." With that, he jumped down the stairs with his scarf whipping behind him. Several villains charged forward and attacked him. One by one Aizawa erased their quirks then knocked them out, sometimes knocking three or more villains out.

"Come on. Follow me," Thirteen said as she rushed back towards the front door. "Everyone, listen to your teacher. We must evacuate! _Now!_"

"Y-yes!" Iida said as he and Yaoyorozu jumped into their roles of class reps and started to move the class forward with waves of their hands. "We need to hurry up and take shelter! This is not a time for spectating!"

The students jumped into action and followed without delay. They only got a few feet before the warp from the fountain appeared in front of them, blocking their only close exit. "I won't let you," a deep voice boomed. The warp formed more into a man before he stretched up several feet in the air. "Nice to meet you. We are the League of Villains. It may be presumptuous of us, but we have invited ourselves in to the home of the heroes: UA High School."

Thirteen took a step back and held out her arms to protect the students.

"We were wondering if we might have the opportunity to extinguish him. But it appears that he is not here," the void figure continued.

"What?!" Terra gasped. Lifting her fists she formed thorns from her skin. She took a step forward. "I won't let you touch him!"

"Calm down, Terra." Todoroki held out his arm in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. "Don't attack. You'll get into trouble."

Terra growled but held her place.

"I believe All Might should have been here." The void man looked around. "Has there been some kind of change? Well, I suppose it doesn't matter. He'll be here soon enough. As soon as he learns of all of your deaths."

"You won't touch him!" Terra growled and lurched forward.

"No!" Todoroki wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her back.

"Terra, please, don't," Asui said. "It's not safe for you to attack."

"I don't care! No one is touching All Might!" Terra threw out a vine, but the villain's misty body shifted away from it.

"Enough, Terra. I'll handle this." Thirteen flicked open the fingertip of her glove but just when she was about to take aim at the figure, Bakugo and Kirishima leapt in front of her and charged at the villain.

"Destroy him!" Terra screamed.

The explosion from Bakugo's quirk exploded against the void man as Kirishima swiped at him. A large smoke screen spread out, blocking their view.

"Betcha never thought you'd get beaten before you got to do anything," Kirishima said after he and Bakugo landed. The smoke from Bakugo's attack faded.

The shadowy figure chucked and then re-emerged within the smoke. "That's right. Even if you are students, you are excellent golden eggs waiting to hatch into pros. Such power in those attacks."

"No! Get back, you two!" Thirteen yelled as plumes of black smoke came out of the villain's body and surrounded the group.

"My job is to scatter you all and torture you to death!" the villain shouted as his black smoke wrapped around the class.

"Shoto!" Terra grasped onto Todoroki's hand. Her heart skipped a beat at the unfamiliarity of this villain's quirk. What all did it do exactly? The man was able to appear out of thin air, along with his friends. He said that he was going to scatter them. If so, where? Inside of the USJ? Or outside maybe? Or maybe into a truck that was going to carry them away to another location?

"Terra! Hold on!" Todoroki said as the black smoke tightened around them.

Panic flowed through Terra's body as her best friend disappeared from her sight. Then all she saw was darkness. Todoroki completely disappeared. His hand was no longer in hers. She grappled for him but was met only with air. "Shoto?!"

Silence met her ears before light penetrated her eyes. She squinted. Her body hit the ground, pushing air from her lungs. Heat rushed over her skin. Wood snapped and crackled. Her heart squeezed. She didn't have to look. She already knew where she had been sent.

"Great." Terra sat up and looked around. Fire surrounded her. Buildings and flora were ablaze with orange and red flames. Already she could feel her body's water supply dropping. She wondered if any of these buildings had running water. Surely they did. Some students had water quirks. If they were to save people then they would need access to water, or some of them would.

Then it hit her. _No one_ was around. She was alone, but for Birdie who landed on her shoulder.

Terra jumped to her feet. Cupping her hands to her face she screamed, "Shoto! Shoto, where are you?! Asui?! Yaoyorozu?! Aoyama?! Anyone out there?!"

Only snapping fire answered her.

Panic set in. Terra spun in a circle. Her breathing became short, sharp gasps until the buildings around her swayed.

Terra closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath and released it. "Okay, okay. Calm down. You can handle this. Think. That warp guy separated us. I'm assuming we're all still inside of the USJ. If we weren't then surely we all would be together. Wait. Birdie, code yellow, one three five."

"Error," Birdie chirped. "Code not accepted."

"Well, I'll take that as a confirmation that we're still inside the USJ." Terra looked around again. The buildings were set up as another residential area like in their hero basic training class. And since this was part of the USJ there had to be a door to get in and out of this place. All she had to do was find it then she would be out and could look for Todoroki. Sweat dripped down her forehead. She brushed it away with the back of her arm and started walking. "I have to get out of here before I become dehydrated. I hope Sho-chan is all right. Man, these villains are going to be in so much trouble when Sho-chan notices I'm not with him anymore. Not to mention what All Might is going to do to him when he gets here."

…

Todoroki's heart jumped into his throat when darkness blocked his view from Terra. Then her hand was no longer in his. She vanished into complete darkness. And so did he. Nothing could be seen.

He had no idea how much time passed before the darkness faded from him. Light stabbed his eyes for a second before it cleared. He found he was in the air. Twisting his body he angled himself feet down then shot out his ice. His boots collided with the ice and he slid down to the ground.

Now stable he looked around. He was still inside the USJ so he assumed so was Terra. A small amount of relieve washed through his chest, at least they were still somewhat close by each other.

With another look around he noticed he was in a rocky landslide zone of the USJ. And he was alone. Which, in one way, was a good thing. If he had to fight he didn't have to worry about hurting any of his classmates.

Still he was worried. From were he stood above the stairs when the villains appeared, he couldn't tell if anyone had a plant based quirk. He hoped not.

Several men stepped around rocks and boulders.

So he was going to have to fight after all. Ice crackled around his hand and boot, cooling his skin. Though he wasn't a pro hero yet, Todoroki was ready and itching for a fight. He marched forward. "You morons have two seconds to tell me where Terra is and what your plans are."

The villains chuckled. One said, "Like we're going to tell a brat like you."

"Then you have made your choice." Todoroki's ice shimmered in the light before shooting outward from his boot. The villains instantly locked into place. Boots clunked on the rock at his feet, he moved closer to one of the villains and held up his hand. "I'm only going to ask you one last time. Tell me what you're here for, how that guy's warping quirk works, and where Terra is." Cool air swirled around the villain's face as ice crept up his skin. "Start talking."


	7. What Heroes Face

What Heroes Face

Terra popped the top of her water bottle. She took slow sips as she walked on through the blazing furnace. Sweat beaded on her forehead, dampened her shirt in multiple places, and rolled down her back. Only a couple minutes had passed and already she was feeling the effects this place was having on her. Still she pressed on. There was an exit to this place and she was going to find it. Hooking her water bottle back to her belt, she broke into a run. The most logical thing to do was get to the wall of this building. Then she would be able to follow it until she found the exit.

As she was about to reach the end of the city block, thumping footsteps found her ears over the crackling fire. Her heart jumped. She rushed to the closest alley and ducked down it. Peering out she saw a familiar white and tan blur rushing towards the street. "Ojiro?"

"Get him!" a man shouted.

Terra stepped out of the alley and flung out her hand. Vines shot out from her palm. A man tripped on her vines, hitting the ground with a thump. Several others tumbled on top of them. Curses flew from the men's mouths as they scrambled to untangle themselves from each other.

"What was that?!"

"Look! It's another kid!"

"Don't just lay here! After them!"

Terra shot out more vines and wrapped them men up in them before rushing after Ojiro. By the time she got on the street he had run down the young man was nowhere in sight. "Great. Where did he go? Ojiro? Ojiro, where did you go?"

She rounded a corner and was jerked into the next alley. A scream ripped from her throat. She formed a thorn from her right arm.

"Wait! It's me!" Ojiro uncurled his tail from her waist.

"Geez. You about scared me to death. I thought one of those men had grabbed me." Terra straightened her shirt.

"Sorry. I heard you calling my name." Ojiro peered out of the alleyway. "I was being chased."

"I know. I saw you and those men. They're a little tangled up right now. But it won't take them long to get out of my vines." Terra took a gulp of water then held it over to Ojiro.

"Thanks." Ojiro drank some water then passed the bottle back to her. "I hope we don't run out of water." His eyes widened. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have drunk any. You need it more than I do."

"Don't worry about it. These buildings should have water in them. Or there should at least be a fire hydrant around. Remember this is to help students learn how to rescue people. I doubt they would have put a place like this in here if they didn't have water to help water users out."

"Right. I should have thought of that." Ojiro brushed the back of his arm over his forehead.

"Have you been running this entire time?" Terra eyed his damp outfit.

"Yeah." Ojiro nodded. "I landed in the middle of those guys. They were waiting for me."

"Then it's safe to assume the rest of our class is under attack too." Terra tapped her chin. "I wonder why I didn't end up closer to you."

"Maybe because we weren't standing close to each other?"

Terra knitted her eyebrows. "I doubt that. I was holding Sho-chan's hand when we were separated. He's not here."

"How do you know? I was here and you didn't know I was."

"Believe me." Terra smiled. "If Sho-chan was here we would know. He would create a big enough ice formation to let me know where he is."

"Right." Ojiro nodded. "We should-" A sharp snap and boom cut him off.

Terra glanced up to see a large piece of building falling down towards them. Before she could react Ojiro's arm appeared around her waist. A rush of air threw her hair back. The debris hit the ground with a hard thud. "That was way too close."

"Yeah. As I was saying, we should get out of here." Ojiro retract his arm.

"I was heading for the wall of the building. If we follow that we'll find the exit."

Ojiro nodded. "We'll have to get passed those guys. So far I've been able to escape them with hit and run techniques."

"Good plan since you were alone." Terra looked at all the fire. Smoke burned her eyes. "Looks like I'm not going to be much help here. But I'll do what I can. I'm sure All Might is on his..." Her heart sunk as the warp guy's words made their way back into her ears.

"What is it, Terra?"  
"All Might. That guy, the one who separated us, said he wanted to kill All Might." Terra turned her eyes to Birdie. If only she could get word out to her uncle.

"They're insane if they think they can kill All Might." Ojiro smiled.

"Maybe… But don't you think it's odd?" Terra glanced up at him. "No one, that I know of, has ever try to corner All Might like this. I'm worried. What if they have a way to defeat him?"

"These punks? No way. All Might will handle them easily."

Terra forced a nodded. She hoped he was right. Still something about this whole attack probed at the back of her mind.

Shouts and footsteps appeared among the crackling fire.

"Looks like we're out of time. Let's go." Ojiro rushed down the alley.

Terra followed. She held onto Ojiro's words and prayed he was right.

…

Todoroki seethed. The guys who attempted to attack him were still frozen in place. He gotten some information out of them but it wasn't what he wanted. They had no idea how the warp guy's quirk actually worked. He had no idea where Terra was.

Sliding down the rocky slope on his ice, Todoroki's eyes lifted to the domed building with flames painted on the walls. He prayed that she wasn't in there, any other place but there. Either way he had to go look for her. If she was there he was going to need his help. A few feet from the building's floor, he jumped and broke into a run.

Coming closer to the fountain, Todoroki noticed a group of people. One of them was All Might. And the pro was fighting against someone tall, with dark skin, and his brains sticking out of his head. At first glance it looked like the pro hero had things under control. But Todoroki noticed All Might was bleeding, bent in a backwards position and partially stuck in the void thing that separated his class. He shot out his ice, capturing the man who was hurting All Might.

"Todoroki," Midoriya said.

"Midoriya." Todoroki skidded to a stop. "Have you seen Terra?"  
"She's not with you?" Midoriya asked.

"What?!" All Might broke free of the monster's claws and landed a few feet from the teens. "Where is she?!"

"I don't know. We were separated by that warp guy," Todoroki said. "She hasn't sent me a signal. So I'm thinking she's in the fire zone."

"What?! The fire zone?!" Asui said. "But she's weak against fire!"

"I was heading there now," Todoroki said.

All Might growled, pulling everyone's attention to him. His already angry expression turned to pure rage. "Todoroki! Get to Terra! Now!"

Todoroki nodded. "I'm on it."

"That won't be happening."

Todoroki drew his eyes to the man who spoke. He wore hands over his body. His skin was cracked and looked unhealthy enough to fall off him.

"If you want to find you're little friend, then you'll have to get through me."

"Count on it!" Todoroki glared and took a step forward.

"Hold it! Don't let him touch you! He can rot your body with a single touch!" Midoriya said. "He shattered Mr. Aizawa's elbow with his quirk!"

"He can what?!" Bakugo growled.

Todoroki gritted his teeth. Things were worse than he thought. Still there had to be a way to get around this guy and the warping guy. He threw out his hand. Ice crackled as it shot towards the man with all the hands. He bolted to his left. His ice cracked and crumbled. The man with the hands jumped out, handing his fingers towards Todoroki's neck. Todoroki jumped back to avoid being touched. Getting passed this guy wasn't going to be easy.

…

Terra curled tighter into herself and waited. At the moment she was very glad this place was nothing more than a simulation. If it weren't the dumpster she was beside would be beyond bearable. Sweat all but poured down her skin now. And she was certain her deodorant stopped working. Smoke tickled her throat, stung her eyes until they watered. Shifting her hips she could feel how little water remained in her bottles. After this she was going to have to find some water to refill them.

Boots thumped on the concrete. Terra braced herself.

Ojiro shot by.

Terra shot out a vine, tripping the guys who were following him. As they tried to get up, she shot out more vines from her hands and wrapped them up before joining Ojiro at the end of the alley.

"Nice," Ojiro said.

"I should be saying that to you." They raced down the street as more men chased them. "You're the one doing all the hard work. I'm only tripping and wrapping them up."

"It's fine. I know all this fire is hard on you. I don't mind doing all the running. We're classmates, friends." He smiled. "You can count on me. Actually, I'm impressed by you. And a bit shocked actually."

"How so?"

"You haven't babbled once since we've been together. You're really focused. And different." Ojiro gave her a sideways glance.

Terra wasn't sure how to answer that. This plan they were executing was Ojiro's idea. They would find a good hiding place where Terra would wait for him to lure guys to her so she could trip and wrap them up. "Uh, yeah, well… We should get more water. My bottles are almost empty."

"Yeah." Ojiro nodded. "I could use a break myself."

They rounded the corner. A blur slammed into Terra. Searing hot pain shot through her arm. She screamed. A whack and a thump were distant in her ears seconds before her body crumbled to the ground. Through blurred vision she watched Ojiro bounce back and forth between the guys that were following them. He kicked one and knocked down two with his tail before a man bashed him on the back with a club. Blinking, Terra cleared her vision enough to notice the club was attached to the man's arm and was made of rock. Beside him was a skinny man with long, razor sharp fingernails.

"You two brats have been a real pain," fingers man said.

"Yeah. We've caught on to your little tricks," club man said. "It won't work on us. Your game ends here."

The two men charged forward. The club man headed for Ojiro as the fingers man headed for Terra.

Terra snapped out a vine. It wrapped around the man's wrist. The man chuckled and sliced the vines. She winced and pulled back.

"Well, isn't that interesting." The man licked one of his razors. "I cut your vines, I cut you."

Terra gritted her teeth. This was bad. Not only was she weak against fire she was a poor match against knives and other sharp objects. She flickered a quick glance at Ojiro. The club man's club had extended, keeping the younger man at bay. It was obvious the men had a plan from the start. She growled. These two must have been hanging back and watching them whittle down their friends. Of course they would be able to come up with a good plan. Ojiro was a close combat fighter. The club man was obviously the better opponent to deal with someone like Ojiro. And, being inexperienced with fights against villains, the two students fell right into the trap.

"What's the matter, girly?" finger man asked. "Noticed you're way out classed?"

Terra glanced back at the man before looking down at her left arm, pinned at her side. Her flesh bubbled from the hot concrete she had been shoved against. It needed medical attention. She glared at the man. "You won't get away with this. All Might is coming. Once he's here you'll-"

The man laughed, cutting her off. "All Might?! He's the reason we came here! We want him to come here! We're going to kill him!"

Rage built up in Terra's chest. She had almost forgot that's why this attack was happening in the first place. The man lifted his hand. Terra snapped out a vine from her ankles. One wrapped around the man's ankle in front of her while the other wrapped around the ankle of the man Ojiro was fighting. She yanked. The men's feet flew out from underneath them. They landed on the ground hard.

"You little brat!" Finger man growled. Rubbing his head he jumped up and charged at Terra.

Terra gritted her teeth. Fire flared in her eyes. The man got closer. Terra waited until the last second then shot out thorns from her skin. The man before her shrieked. Thorns pierced his arms, shoulders, legs and sides. Blood tainted the air.

"You little-" A loud pop of fire cut off the club man's words. He charged at her.

Terra snapped out a vine from her hand and wrapped it around his neck. She lifted him into the air. The man gasped and scratched at the vines. "You will not hurt All Might."

The man's skin tinted blue.

Terra tightened her vine and pushed her thorns farther into the man's body. Both men screamed. She moved to hurt them more but was stopped by a solid force plowing into her. Her vine and thorns retracted into her body.

"Terra, stop!"

Terra turned her eyes up to Ojiro. His eyes were full of confusion and concern.

"You can't hurt them," he said.

"Get out of my way," Terra hissed.

"No! I won't let you do this!" Ojiro snapped with enough force to cause Terra to jump.

The heat in Terra's chest vanished. She blinked and looked around, flinching when she saw the two men she attacked, before her eyes landed back on Ojiro. She opened her mouth but her words vanished from her. She adverted her eyes. Shame started settling into her mind when the two men jumped and rushed forward with a string of curse words on their lips.

Ojiro shifted off Terra, crouching to attack. He started to lunge but paused when a yellow blur shot passed him and knocked the villains down.

"Hey! Are you two kids okay?!"

Terra rolled onto her side and looked to find one of the UA teachers standing over the villains that had attacked them. If she remembered correctly the teacher was Power Loader.

"The pros have arrived." Ojiro dropped to the ground. "Thank goodness."

Terra closed her eyes and exhaled. If they were here then that meant All Might was here too.

"Are you hurt, Terra? Ojiro?" Power Loader knelt down beside her.

"Her arm got burnt," Ojiro said. "Other than that we're okay."

"All Might. Is he… okay?" Terra, heart racing, stared up at the ceiling.

"He's fine. Let's get you two out of here. You arm needs medical attention." Power Loader slipped his arms underneath her body and lifted her up.

Terra gritted her teeth to the pain.

As they walked towards the exit, Ojiro filled the teachers in on what they did to survive and how many men they attempted to trap. Terra tensed, expecting him to tell them she hurt the two villains. He said nothing. After getting a good idea of where the villains were located, the teachers, but for Power Loader who escorted them out of the fire zone, went to apprehend them. Back out in the main area of the USJ, Terra scanned for All Might and Todoroki as cooler air engulfed her. Todoroki was the first she saw as he came rushing over to her.

"Terra!" Todoroki's eyes sharped with danger when he looked at her burnt arm. "Who did this to you?!"

"It's fine, Sho-chan. Nothing that can't be healed." Terra wanted to reach out and touch his head, but couldn't. Her good arm was against Power Loader's torso and her burnt arm hurt too much to move.

Stepping outside, Ojiro joined their classmates as Power Loader carried Terra over to an ambulance. He laid her on the stretched then left to help gather up the villains. Todoroki followed her into the ambulance.

"I'm sorry, young man," the paramedic said. "Only family can-"

"I'm not leaving!" Todoroki snapped.

The paramedic jumped back and busied his hands with fixing Terra with an IV and a facemask for fresh oxygen. Then Recovery Girl entered into the ambulance. She stood beside Terra's burnt arm. "My, my, what a mess. Other than this burn do you have any other injuries?"

"No," Terra said, her voice muffled by the mask.

"She was in the fire zone," Todoroki said. "She's dehydrated. And breathed in smoke."

Recovery Girl nodded to his words before puckering.

Terra sunk into the pillow behind her, completely drained of energy from Recovery Girl's treatment.

"That should do it for now," Recovery Girl said. "I didn't heal you completely. I can tell you're already drained of a lot of energy from being in the fire zone. You rest. I'll finish healing you later."

Terra attempted to nod but sleep over took her.

…

Terra opened her eyes to the smell of sterilization and medication. Noting the unfamiliar ceiling above her she pushed herself up.

"Terra!" Arms engulfed Terra before she could figure out where she was. "My baby! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Mom," Terra croaked out through the crushing embrace. "Please, let go before I pass out."

"Sorry." Tomoko pulled back, tears pooling around her eyes. "I about had a heart attack when the school notified me of what happened." Her worried eyes which to blazing fury. "How dare those idiots attack my sweet babies! It was bad enough that they attacked Birdie, but you?!"

"Huh?" Terra tilted her head.

"I told Tomoko about the interference," Todoroki said.

Terra found him sitting at the end of the bed.

"We're in Recovery Girl's room," Todoroki said. "All Might wanted you here instead of the hospital."

Terra nodded. "I see. Did they get any more information?"

"No." Todoroki shook his head. "All they seem to have wanted was to kill All Might. It didn't happen."

"Anyone else get hurt?" Terra asked.

"Who cares?! They aren't my babies!" Tomoko hugged Terra again.

"Ugh, Mom!"

"Sorry." Tomoko pulled back and started fiddling with Birdie again. "I should be more focused on Birdie." She released a growl mixed with fury and determination. "I have no idea how they blocked it, but they won't be able to do it again."

"Classes are canceled tomorrow," Todoroki said. "They want us to rest for a day."

Terra lay back on her pillow. Her mind buzzed with everything that happened until it locked onto what she did to those two villains. She swallowed and licked her lips. "I hurt two of them. Ojiro saw."

A thick silence fell over the three for several moments.

"I think it'll be okay," Todoroki then said. "It didn't appear that he told Ectoplasm. Don't think about it right now. If anything comes up, I'm sure All Might will take care of it."

Terra nodded. Todoroki was right. She still had All Might. Everything would be fine. She hoped.

_NOTICE: Due to multiple keys on my keyboard on the verge of quitting, updating will be slow for a while. Because of this virus lockdown I have no idea when I'll be able to get a new computer. So bare with me as I try to get chapters typed up and posted._


	8. Aftermath

Aftermath

Adria walked down the busy sidewalk of the city, two shopping bags swinging in her hands to the rhythm of her heels clicking. Words from the people and from large TV screens mounted on builds above her all spouted the same thing. _"The top hero school UA had been hit by villains."_

_ "How did villains manage to do that?"_

_ "How could they let villains in like that? What are they going to do about it?"_

_ "What should they do? It was just a random attack. Those villains were stupid."_

_ "Yeah. All Might was there. He took care of it without any problems. They caught most of the villains anyway. It won't happen again."_

Adria scoffed at those who said anything positive about the attack. _Idiots_, she thought to herself. They knew nothing. Those villains had guts. Far more guts than anyone else had, other villains included. The League of Villains, as they called themselves, sparked an interest in her. She wanted to know more. She wanted to seek them out. Perhaps she should.

Turning a corner she walked a few more blocks. The nice, smooth walls of the city gave way to broken wood and glass, trash scattered on the ground, a cat hissed then ran away from her. She snarled at a dead rat that the cat must have been eating on. This place didn't suit her at all. She was better than all this. She deserved better. And she was going to get what she wanted. All that was needed was a little more time. And perhaps a few others to help do what she wanted.

Adria pushed open the door to her apartment building. Her hips swung side to side as she walked up the stairs.

"Yo, Babe."

Adria rolled her eyes. This guy, whose name she refused to memorize, was always sitting on the stairs, waiting for her to come and go from her apartment. She knew what came next. It was always the same thing.

"I would ask what's shaking." He eyed her hips. "But I can see for myself."

"Die." Adria shuffled passed him and braced herself. One step above the one he was sitting on, he slapped his hand on her butt. Spinning on her heel, she kicked him right in the face. He went sailing down the stairs. Three steps and foam spouted from his body, protecting him from the fall.

"Oh, Babe. You are such a turn on. Kick me again." Lust filled his eyes.

Adria rolled hers again and continued on up the stairs, wondering why she didn't kill him and get it over with. Then again, she knew why she didn't kill him. They couldn't have another death on their hands. They had only arrived back in this city last week. And they needed to stay until they had reclaimed what was rightfully theirs.

Reaching the door with a half missing forty on the door, she pulled out her keys and stepped into the apartment. Thick cigarette smoke wafted into her nose. Her eyes went right to the window where her husband was sitting, one leg hanging out the window. She closed the door with her foot. "You're going to fall out of that window one day."

"Hasn't happened yet," he grumbled, a frown pulling down his cracked lips.

Adria placed the bags on the table, it shifted from the weight, then walked over to him. She pulled the cigarette from his lips and took a slow suck. "What's wrong, Thorn?"

"This place sucks," Thorn said. "It's boring. I need some action."

"You might be getting that action quicker than you think."

Thorn pulled his eyes to her.

"You really should be paying attention to the news." Adria pulled out her cellphone.

Thorn scoffed. "Why? All they do is blab on and on about those pathetic heroes." A string of curses left his mouth. "If it wasn't for All Might we would be running this country."

"Country is a little extreme." Adria held her cellphone in front of his face. The same news story played. "Seems like there're some new players in the game."

Thorn scoffed and looked away. "I don't need idiots like them to get my treasure back."

"True. But they could be very beneficial," Adria said. "A distraction. You have to admit they have some guts breaking into UA like that. And that strange creature they had with them… Surely it deserves at least some consideration."

Thorn's face darkened.

"It's not like I'm suggesting a permanent relationship with these people." Adria unbutton two buttons on his shirt and slipped her hand inside. "All I'm saying is they may be of some use to us. And they sound really fun. Come on, love. Let's do this. I know you're tried of sitting around waiting for an opportunity to reclaim your treasure."

Thorn's eyelids fell closed.

Adria leaned in and pressed a kiss to his temple. "Think of all the fun." She kissed his cheek. "So much fun." Her hand continued to unbutton his shirt then his jeans. "Oh so much fun."

"Fine," Thorn said with a husky growl. Turning from the window he lifted her up by her hips and took her to the couch. "You play very unfairly."

"I know. But now I got you right where I want you." Adria pulled him into a deep kiss, running her knee up the inner side of his thigh.

…

Terra covered her yawn with her fingers. Eyes drooping, she continued to watch the TV. For hours she watched news reports about the attack on the USJ. They showed her class outside of the USJ, getting on the bus to head back to school, and the school itself when they arrived. When they did arrive the press continued to hound them for answers. The police had to form a barrier around the gates to keep them at bay until the class could be sent home.

It seemed to be on all channels and the internet, even channels that didn't play news.

Terra wasn't surprised everyone was making such a big deal about it. It was for multiple reasons. Because the villains were after All Might and because it was the first time any villain broke into the best hero school. People were going to be talking about this for weeks.

"Terra," Tomoko sang as she poked her head into the living room. "You have a few visitors."

"Hm? Visitors?" Terra stood from the couch. "Sho-chan?"  
"Nope." Tomoko smiled. "Another cute young man and young lady."

"Cute young man and young lady?" Terra blinked.

"Come on. They're waiting in the living room upstairs. Hurry up." Tomoko disappeared from the door.

With a huff Terra shut the TV off, left the living room and stepped into the kitchen. She joined Tomoko in the elevator and headed up to street level. Walking through the ground level kitchen she peeked into the living room to find Ojiro and Asui sitting on the couch. "Ojiro? Tsu?"  
"Hey, Terra." Ojiro and Asui smiled.

"What are you two doing here?" She walked over to the couch.

"We wanted to come see you." Ojiro ducked his head a little, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry to come unannounced. We would have called you, but didn't know your number."

"How did you even know where to find me?"

"All Might gave us your home address," Asui said.

"All Might did?" Terra looked back at her mom. The older woman was watching with a smile from the kitchen door.

"I hope that's okay. We saw him before going home yesterday," Ojiro said, his tail twitching beside him. "I was worried about you. You were really out of it yesterday."

"We stopped by to see you but Recovery Girl said you needed to rest," Asui said.

"Oh, um, sorry about that." Terra scratched her cheek.

"Should we not have come?" Ojiro asked.  
"No. It's okay that you did." Terra licked her lips and looked around before letting her eyes settle on him. "I'm just surprised. That's all. I mean Sho-chan is really the only friend I've ever had. So this is a bit… new."

"Well, we wer hoping we might go for some ice cream. If you were feeling up to it." Ojiro glanced passed her. "And if it's okay with your mom that is."

Terra parted her lips.

"That's wonderful idea." Tomoko stepped into the room, clasping her hands together in delight. "You three go on ahead."

"Mom?"

"It's fine." Tomoko placed her hands on Terra's shoulders and guided her towards the front door.

"But Birdie's not fixed," Terra said.

"Of course it is." Tomoko whistled. Birdie flew into the room and landed on Terra's shoulder. "You shouldn't have any more interference problems now."

Ojiro and Asui joined her.

"Have fun now. Don't stay out too late." Tomoko waved.

Terra quirked an eyebrow at her mom before slipping on her shoes and headed out of the house. She listened to the tapping of their shoes on the sidewalk and words from other people before sneaking a glance at his profile. "So, uh, how are you two doing?"

"I'm fine. Not a single scratch." He smiled at her. "The rest of our class also got out unharmed for the most part. Midoriya got the most bruises but Recovery Girl took care of him. Unfortunately, Mr. Aizawa and Thirteen weren't so lucky. They'll be okay though. Mr. Aizawa has fractures in his arms and face. No serious brain damage but his eyes took heavy damage. He may suffer heavy after effects. Thirteen has lacerations from back to upper arms but she'll survive. Both are in stable condition and will be fine."

"Yeah." Asui nodded. "We saw Mr. Aizawa fight that weird nomu creature. It was scary."

"That's harsh," Terra said. "But I'm glad they'll be okay. Do you think Aizawa will be back to classes or will we have a substitute?"

"Don't have a clue. We'll know tomorrow. Oh, here we are." Ojiro shrugged

Terra glanced up to find they had already made it to their destination. A small vendor stood at the edge of the park. "I didn't know there was an ice cream vendor here."

"He has really good ice cream." Ojiro walked over to the vendor. "Order anything you like."

"Yeah. This one's on us," Asui said.

"Um, okay." Terra eyed the menu posted on the front of the cart. "I'll take a cone with cookies and crème."

"I'll take a cup of vanilla sprinkles," Ojiro said as he pulled out his wallet.

"I'll have chocolate," Asui said.

"Thank you. Enjoy your ice cream." The man took their money and handed them their ice cream.

The three students took their ice cream and walked over to a bench covered in shade. Terra took a lick of her creamy treat and waited for Ojiro to say something. That something being what happened to her in the fire zone. Though she wasn't sure if he would with Asui around.

"Oops."

Terra turned to find Asui dropped some ice cream on her shirt.

"I'll be right back." Asui stood and walked towards the bathroom. "Better wash this off before it stains."

A moment of silence passed between the two remaining teens. "Uh, Terra?"

"Hm?" Terra stiffened.

"There is something else I'd like to talk to you about now that we have a moment alone."

"It's about me and the fire zone, isn't it?" Terra lowered her ice cream.  
"Yeah." Ojiro nodded.

"You didn't tell anyone I attacked the villains?"

"Well, I did mention it to All Might."

Terra looked at him. "What did he say?"  
"He said to talk to you."

"I see." Terra dropped her eyes to the ground and licked her ice cream again. _I see all right. Uncle Toshi and Mom are trying to get me to make new friends. This outing must have been their idea from the start. I wonder what else they have up their sleeves._

"If you don't want to talk about it I'll understand. And I won't tell anyone."

Terra thought about his words for a few minutes, trying to figure out what she wanted to do. Should she tell him? Or keep quiet? Was there a down side to telling him? Then she noticed a part of her wanted to keep quiet, but a larger part wanted to tell him. "I guess I can tell you a bit. It's tied into what happened to me as a kid. I don't make friends easy. And I don't have many people who are important to me." She lowered her ice cream. A bird landed in front of them, pecked the ground a couple times, and then flew off. "The few people who I do have… I can become very protective of them when someone threatens them. It causes me to change." She looked up at the sky. "It's been suggested that I have multiple personalities. I'm not so sure about that. Most of the time I'm like I have been at school. But if someone I care about is threatened I become…" She twirled her hand in an attempt to find the right word.

"Vicious?"

Terra nodded. "Among other things. Since those villains didn't outright attack All Might, at least that I didn't see, I didn't do much damage. Though I might have if you didn't stop me."

"You must have gone through something really terrible then."

"I've read that trauma can cause people to develop multiple personalities." Terra nodded. "And yeah. I wish I could forget about it all."

"You know, if you ever want to talk I'm here for you."

Terra glanced up at him.

"We friends now." Ojiro smiled. "I'll support you however I can. And we don't have to take anything fast. We can build up trust as we learn about each other."

Terra eyebrows rose in surprise to find he was right. A bond had formed between them from what they had gone through in the USJ attack. Though it was small, it was there. It was also a scary thought to accept someone new. Yet it felt nice. "Yeah. I'd like that. Thanks, Ojiro."

"Would you like to exchange numbers? That way we can call and text each other."

"Sure."

"By the way, how does this phone of yours work?" Ojiro looked at Birdie.

"I'm back. Sorry it took so long." Asui sat down. "What did I miss?"  
"Nothing much. Terra decided we should exchange cellphone numbers," Ojiro said.

"Really?"

Terra nodded. "We can exchange too. I was about to tell Ojiro how Birdie works."

"Ribbit. So glad I got back for that."

"So cute!" Terra squealed them shook herself. "Okay. Well, it's like any other cellphone only shaped like a bird." She held up her hand and Birdie jumped into it. "A screen is built into Birdie's chest. Mom modified her, Sho-chan, and my Uncle Toshi's cellphones so we can video chat on a private line. Its left wing holds the keyboard for texting. One of its feathers on its right wing pulls out when I want to talk to someone privately. And one of its claws extracts as the ear bud. There's also a speak inside its beak."

"That's amazing. Your mom did this?" Asui asked.

Terra nodded. "With the help of her quirk. She also helps with the security at UA."

"What?!" Ojiro's eyes widened. "Really?!"

"That's right." Terra nodded again. "She's been rather furious that her security measures were disabled."

"So why a bird? Why not a normal cellphone?" Ojiro asked.  
"Because Birdie is harder to lose and harder to steal." Birdie perched back on Terra's shoulder. "I'm not sure if I should reveal anymore right now. Mom can be rather protective of me at times. I'm actually surprised that she let me come out with you today. Though it might have been her idea or All Might might have talked her into it."

"Really? I didn't get that impression." Ojiro spooned ice cream into his mouth.

"Believe me she is." Terra turned her focus back to her ice cream. "She probably only let me come because you're training to become a hero. That and you helped me out in the fire zone."

"I see. So I've made points with her."

Terra shrugged. "I guess so."

"I'm glad. I hope it means we can see more of each other outside of class," Ojiro said.

Asui nodded. "Same."

Terra hummed. "Maybe we can. Oh, hey, what do you think of Midoriya?"

"He reminds me of All Might," Asui said. "I can't wait to see how he matures as a hero."

"He's okay. A bit crazy with how he's always breaking his limbs." Ojiro paused. "Why?"

"No special reason."

"I think all of our classmates are great," Ojiro said. "And I think they'll make great heroes one day. Despite never been in battle with villains before we all managed really well at the USJ."

"You're right. I wonder how much attention we'll get from all of this." Terra slumped on the bench. "First with All Might being a teacher and now this attack."

"UA is really an intense school," Asui said.

"Yup." Terra nodded.

After they finished their ice cream the three teens walked around the park for a while, pausing occasionally to look at the sights. One was of two mimes entertaining the crowd with their silent skills accompanied with their quirks. The man formed rubber balls from his palms while the woman shrunk herself down. As the man juggled, the woman struck several poses as she hurled through the air. Next they skipped a few rock at a pond and played with a dog before finally heading home.

"Thanks for the day out, guys," Terra said. "It was really enjoyable. Is there anything else you'd like to do?"

"Yeah, a lot of stuff. But that'll have to wait. I promised my mom that I would be home before it got dark," Ojiro said.

Terra lifted her eyes to the sky. It was streaked with oranges and reds. They had stayed out later than she had realized.

"Same," Asui said. "That attack on the USJ had my parents worried a little bit. Though I doubt that those villains will attack again so soon. I'm sure All Might scared them back into the holes they crawled out of."

"I hope you're right," Terra said. "Thanks again for the day."

The two waved and headed off.

Terra watched them for a moment before heading inside.

"So? How did it go?" Tomoko turned on the couch, eyes widened like a puppy expecting a treat.

"Really good," Terra said. "Tsu and Ojiro are really nice."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So you and All Might planned this outing?"

"Now why would we do that?" Tomoko chuckled.

Terra rolled her eyes with a shake of her head.

…

**Author's Notes: Well, my computer has been behaving for a few days. So I got some chapters done and ready to post. Enjoy them! I'm off to work on more while hoping my computer continues to be nice.**


	9. Targeted

Targeted

"Ah, good morning, mademoiselle," Aoyama said with a wink and dramatic wave of his hand. "And to you, monsieur."

Terra smiled at the warm greeting while Todoroki just stared in silence. "Good morning to you, too."

"I am so glad to see you have recovered from the USJ attack." Aoyama struck a pose with his thumb and finger under his chin in an L shape. "I was worried when they took you away."

"You didn't have to worry. I was fine after getting some fluids and rest. You seem to be fine as well." Terra looked him up and down.

"Indeed." Aoyama nodded. "Those ruffians didn't hurt me one bit."

"That's good," Terra said.

"Shall we walk to class together?" Aoyama bowed and waved his arm towards the door that would lead them out of the locker area.

Terra nodded. The group of three left for their class. Whispers swirled around them from the moment they stepped into the building and all the way to their homeroom class. Even there the students continued to speak about what happened. Terra half listened to them.

"But man, all the channels made a big deal out of it!" Kaminari laughed.

"I was surprised," Kirishima admitted.

Jiro stopped twirling her earphone jack and she shrugged. "The hero course that keeps pumping out pro heroes was attacked for real. Of course everyone wants to talk about it."

"Who knows what would've happened if the teachers hadn't come when they did?" Sero sighed with relief.

Koda made his way back to her desk and mimed his concern.

"Yeah. They took you off in an ambulance." Ashido joined them. "Your arm looked hurt."

"I'm fine. I was only observed over night to make sure I got rehydrated properly," Terra said. "And I did burn my arm thanks to a villain, but Recovery Girl healed me up."

"I'm glad to hear it." Ashido clapped her hands together while Koda nodded rapidly. "I wanted to call you but didn't have your number."

"You should totally give it to us," Hagakure said. "Then we can call you. Maybe we could hang out sometime."

"I'd like your phone number, too," Yaoyorozu said. "It'll come in handy if I have class rep stuff to share with you."

Terra looked at the long haired teen.

"I have everyone else's numbers. Would you mind if I got yours?" Yaoyorozu held up her phone.

"I guess it'll be all right," Terra said. Her eyes drew to Todoroki, who gave her a carefree shrug, before going to Ojiro and Asui. They smiled. "Fine. I'll give it to everyone."

"Great! I'd love to have your number on hand." Drool dripped from Mineta's lips. His hands and arms trembled with excitement.

Asui stuck her tongue in the boy's ear. "Keep that up and you won't get any girl's number."

Terra spoke out her number. She noticed everyone tapped it into their cellphones. The only ones she wasn't sure about was Bakugo and Midoriya. The former had his phone out but she had no way of knowing if he was putting her number into his phone or not. Midoriya, however, looked back at her with a timid glance before turning back around.

"And I'll give you mine," Ashido said.

"Birdie, record numbers." Birdie's beak opened. One by one her classmates gave her their phone numbers, but for Bakugo and Midoriya.

Kirishima gave Bakugo's for him instead. "Don't be so stand offish, Bakugo." He snatched Bakugo's phone and input Terra's number.

"Give me back my phone, you idiot!" Bakugo shouted but made no move for his cellphone.

Terra pursed her lips. Did that mean he wanted her number? Her eyes went to Midoriya. Other than Bakugo, Midoriya was the only one who didn't offer his number. She figured it was because she threatened him.

"Everyone! Morning homeroom is about to start!" Iida marched down the isle with his hands straight and arms pumping. "Stop talking, put away those cellphones, and take your seats!"

"Yeah, yeah, Emergency Exit." Kirishima sat down. "We were only doing what was necessary. You input Terra's number in your phone, too, right?"

"Ahem." Tenya coughed into his hand. "Of course I did. I am the class rep. It's my duty to have everyone's phone numbers."

"Sure," Hagakure said. "That's why you suggested it instead of Yaoyorozu."

With a heavy sigh Iida sat down in his chair. "I know. I have been derelict in my duties as a class rep."

"It's okay, Iida," Terra said. "I wouldn't have given out my number before now anyway."

"What made you change your mind?" Iida turned in his chair to look at her.

"Well…" Terra looked at Ojiro and Asui. "I guess things changed."

Ojiro and Asui smiled and nodded.

The door to the classroom slid open opened. Aizawa came walk in with bandages around his face and arms. "Morning."

The shook in their chairs at the sight of their homeroom teacher wrapped in so many bandages and for being in class. "Mr. Aizawa! You're back too soon!" they shouted in unison.

Terra's eyebrows rose. Recovery Girl must have helped in his recovery for him to return so soon. That was the only thing she could think of to get Aizawa back on his feet so soon. She also heard about how Midoriya helped All Might in the fight against the villains. While she didn't get the full story of what all happened, she did gain a small amount of gratitude for the boy.

"Y-you are too professional." Kaminari gasped.

Tenya's hand shot in the air. "Mr. Aizawa, are you really all right?!"

"Could you call that all right?!" Uraraka asked.

"My well-being isn't important. What's important is the fight is not yet over," Aizawa said.

"Fight?" Terra's curiosity peaked a bit.

"Don't tell me. " Midoriya stiffened in his chair.

Aizawa lowered his head, eyeing his students from between his bandages. "The UA sports festival is drawing near."

"What?!" The students fell back in their chairs with relief. "That's a super normal school event!"

"Is it really okay to have a sports festival so soon after the villains got inside school premises?!" Jiro asked.

"What if they attack again?" Ojiro asked.

"Apparently, they think of it as UA showing that our crisis management system is solid as a rock by holding the event," Aizawa said. "Security will also be strengthened to five times that of previous years."

"That's good to hear," Iida said.

"Above all, our sports festival is a huge chance for aspiring heroes. It's not an event to be cancelled because of a few villains," Aizawa explained. "Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. In days past, it was the Olympics that everyone watched."

"Of course, all the top heroes around the country will be watching," Yaoyorozu added. "For scouting purposes."

"I know, but…" Mineta still protested.

"That's correct. Joining a famous hero agency will get you more experience and higher status," Aizawa said. "But time is limited. If you expect to go pro, then the path to your future will open up at this event. One chance each year you are here for a total of three chances to get scouted. No aspiring heroes can afford to miss this event. If you understand that, then don't slack off on your preparations."

"Yes, sir!" the class said.

Terra slumped over her desk and poked Todoroki on the shoulder. "I can't believe I'm having to participate in such an event."

"I'd rather you didn't," Todoroki said. "But since you are here it's obvious All Might thinks it's fine."

Terra sighed. "Maybe."

"Have you spoke to him about it?" Todoroki asked.

"Before school started. He said it'd be fine."

Todoroki nodded. "Then we have to trust him. Like Mr. Aizawa said, security will be tighter this year. No villain will be stupid enough to attack an event with so many heroes around."

"I know you're right. Maybe its just nerves." Terra sat back in her chair as the school day got started. Her mind would only half focus on the lectures while the other half kept going over and over the upcoming sports festival. So many people watched it. The last time she was in such a large crowd things didn't end well. She had no idea how she would handle it all. Or if she could handle it. She had no idea if she would hurt anyone. What did the sports festival consist of anyway? Tapping her pencil on her chin she thought back to previous events. They had all been different. So this year would be different too. She huffed and wondered if All Might could give her some information on it.

After hours of seamlessly endless lectures their fourth period finally ended. Chatter about the sports festival filled the room as Class 1-A got ready to go eat.

"Sho-chan, I'm going to go find All Might for a moment," Terra said.

"Probably a good idea. Want me to come with you?"

"No, you go on to lunch. This wouldn't take long. I'll meet you in the lunchroom."

A minute later they went their separate ways. Todoroki went downstairs as Terra headed off for the teacher's office. She found he wasn't there but he might be in one of the teacher lounges. She headed off to find him. It didn't take long as she spotted him in the hall heading into a room. "Hey, All-" She paused when she spotted Midoriya with him.

"Hm? Something wrong, Terra?" All Might turned to her when she ran up to him.

"No, nothing's wrong." Terra stared at Midoriya for a moment before looking up at All Might. "I wanted to talk to you but I see you're busy."

"I'm not busy. I was going to eat lunch with Young Midoriya here." All Might lifted his lunchbox. "Want to join us?"

"No thanks. Sho-chan is waiting for me. Can you come over tonight? I want to talk to you about the sports festival."

"Still nervous about it, huh?" All Might asked.

Terra nodded.

"Of course I'll come over." All Might patted her head.

"Great. See you tonight then." Terra cut Midoriya a harsh stare before rushing off.

"She hates me." She heard Midoriya said.

"Not at all," All Might said. "She's just hard to get close to." He lowered his voice. "Especially since you know my secret. Give her time. Was there something you needed, Young Midoriya?"

Terra didn't hear his answer as she continued on her trek to the lunchroom. She joined Todoroki in the lunch line.

"What's going on with Deku? Why do you think All Might wanted to speak to him?"

Terra glanced behind her when she heard Uraraka spoke.

"I heard he jumped in to help All Might during the attack on the USJ," Iida said. "It's probably something to do with that."

"Also, it's like Tsuyu said on the bus," Uraraka said. "He's strong like All Might."

"All Might's speaking with Midoriya? Is that why you got here so quickly?" Todoroki asked.

"Yeah. They're eating lunch together. I don't know why though. It might be because of the attack." They ordered their food and went to claim a seat. Much to her surprise she found some of the girls waved them over. "Well, this is a surprise. Don't you girls usually eat together with a few of the boys?"

"True, but we wanted to eat with you two," Ashido said. "And talk."

"So how are you all going to prepare for the sports festival?" Hagakure asked.

"I don't have anything planned," Ashido said. "Since we don't know what we'll be doing it's hard to prepare for it."

"That's so true." Yaoyorozu nodded. "We should still be prepared as possible."

"I think you've got that covered," Terra said. "With your quirk you can create whatever you want."

"It's not that great." Yaoyorozu shifted in her chair, a slight pink rolling across her cheeks. "I have limits like everyone else."

"I think we should take a day and chill out at the mall or something," Hagakure said.

"Sounds good! I'm in!" Ashido said. "We should get together the weakened before the sports festival! How about it, Tsu?"

"Ribbit. Count me in." Asui looked at Terra. "Will you be coming?"

"I don't know." Terra swirled her chopsticks in her noodles.

"Come on. It'll be fun. A girls day out." Ashido leaned over the table with a grin.

"She'll go if her mom says it's okay," Todoroki said.

"Hey! Since when do you make my decisions?" Terra wrinkled her nose at the boy beside her.

"You don't want to go?" Todoroki glanced at her.

"Well…"

"Then you're going." Todoroki slurped up his soba.

Terra sighed. "Sure. I have to ask Mom first."

"Yes! I'll be sure to ask Uraraka and Jiro later," Ashido said.

…

As the day came to a close, Terra found more excitement was about to hit Class 1-A. When the door to the room was opened they found another class standing there.

"What business do you have with Class 1-A?" Tenya demanded to the other students gazing in at them. "We can't get out!"

"What'd you come here for, anyway?!" Mineta asked.

"Clearly they're here to scout out the enemy, small fry." Bakugo stalked to the door with his hands in his pockets. "We're the ones who made it out of a villain attack. They're probably checking us out before the sports festival."

"S-small fry?!" Mineta gasped.

Bakugo stood at the doorway. "There's no point in doing stuff like that. Out of my way, extras!"

"Ah!" Midoriya, Iida, and Uraraka jumped behind Bakugo, panic sweeping across their faces.

"Stop calling people extras just because you don't know them!" Iida exclaimed.

"I came to see what Class 1-A was like." A voice came out of the crowd. "But you seem pretty arrogant." A couple of first years stepped aside and a boy with tall purple hair came to the front. "Are all the students in the hero course like this?"

Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka, and Mineta shook their heads vehemently while Bakugo growled.

"What is with this school's students and spikey hair?" Terra popped up beside the purple haired guy.

"Ah, Terra Tanaka. Finally, I get to meet All Might's recommendation face to face," he said.

"Is there a spikey hair club at this school I don't know about?" Terra tugged on a strand of his hair. "And it's purple."

"What is wrong with her?"  
"Is she really All Might's recommendation?"

"She's so weird."

"Why purple?" Terra gave another tug. "Is it connected to your quirk? Mine is. Or so I assumed. I've seen other plant quirks that don't have green hair. What about you? What is your quirk?"

"Stop that." The boy grabbed her wrist with an annoyed glare.

Todoroki was at Terra's side in a second. He grabbed the guy's wrist and squeezed. "Let her go."

"Chill. I wasn't going to hurt her." He released Terra's wrist.

"I never expected All Might's recommendation to be like this. I heard the rumors but thought they were only that. Rumors." He looked at Terra. "I hope your performance in the sports festival proved me and everyone else wrong."

"Eh?" Terra tilted her head.

"I had hoped that those rumors were false and that you were more serious. But seeing you and your classmates have left me disillusioned." The boy sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "There are quite a few people who enrolled in general studies or other courses because they didn't make it into the hero course. Did you know that?"

"And what does that have to do with Class 1-A?" Terra blinked.

"It means that your performance at the sports festival determines whether or not you'll be transferred out of the hero course. If that happened then one of us will be transferred into the hero course." He eyed Bakugo up and down and then he scoffed. "You think I'm here to scout you guys out? I'm just here to say that if you get too carried away, I'll sweep your feet out from under you and steal your spot. I came here with a declaration of war."

"Can they really transfer students out of the hero course?" Terra asked.

"They can." Todoroki nodded.

"Wow," Terra said.

"Ribbit. That's insane. But I guess it does make sense." Asui pressed a finger to her chin. "If someone isn't performing well then there's no point in them staying in the hero course."

"That means we have to work really hard not to get kicked out," Kaminari said.

"Terra, time's wasting," Todoroki said.

"Right." Terra nodded and walked off with him. "All Might's coming over tonight. You want to come? I'm going to talk to him about the sports festival."

"No. I'll give you two some time alone. After what happened at the USJ I figured you could use some time with him," Todoroki said.

"Yeah. You're right." Terra nodded.

…

"So what did you want to talk to me about exactly?" Toshinori sat down on the couch in the underground house.

"The sports festival. The USJ attack. All of it." Terra sat beside him. "Are you sure it's a good idea for me to join the festival?"  
"Of course it's fine." Toshinori patted her head. "I'll be right there the whole time. And they're taking extra security measures this year. Aizawa told you about this."

"That's something else I'm concerned about. Those villains could still come back to try and kill you again."

"Terra." Toshinori put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his side. "I'm okay. Those villains will never kill me."

"They might not, but that nomu thing did hurt you." Terra tilted her head to look at his side where Midoriya said the nomu jammed its long sharp fingers in then looked up at him. "They could come back with another one of those things. Or worse an army. No one seems to know what the nomu even is. There could be thousands out there."

"Terra, you're worrying over nothing." He gave her a squeeze when she attempted to get up. "That's not going to happen. You're talking to the number one hero. And we are at the best hero school. That attack was a one-time thing. They'd be crazy to attack the school again. Especially since they got a good look at the up and coming new heroes. Despite the odds against you, you handled yourself real well. All of Class 1-A did."

"I know. You've said that before." Terra rested her head on his chest. "I'm still worried. You're important to me. I don't want to lose you."

Toshinori sighed.

"Uncle Toshi?" Terra looked up at him to find his dark eyes were distant, deep in thought. "Something wrong?" When he didn't answer she poked him. "Uncle Toshi!"

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? You seemed distracted."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you like that. It's getting kind of late. How about we make dinner for Tomoko?"

"Yeah!" Terra nodded and jumped from the couch. It had been a while since they had spent this kind of time together.

"Okay, okay. Settle down." Toshinori chuckled and followed her into the kitchen.

Dishes clanked together as Terra pulled out what was needed.

"So how are you getting along with your classmates?" Toshinori asked while the fish sizzled.

"They're okay. A few of them have some issues." Terra stopped chopping the carrot. "Like Bakugo. He's loud. Seems to hate Midoriya… Well, he seems to hate everyone. I haven't heard him say anyone's name. He always calls them something else. He even called me Plant Face at our first hero training course with you."

"Plant Face?" Toshinori paused and looked at her. "That's right. I do remember him saying that."

"Yup. Then there's Mineta. He and Kaminari are perverts, but Mineta is the worst."

"They haven't made a move on you, have they?" A small snarl pulled across the man's face.

"Don't worry. Nothing's happened." Terra giggled. "Let's see… Oh, yeah. Some of the girls asked me to go out with them the weekend before the sports festival. That is if Mom will let me. Considering she let me go out for ice cream with Ojiro and Tsu I get the feeling she'll say yes."

"That's a good thing. I've seen you speak with your classmates a couple times. You seem to get along with them rather well."

"Yeah." Terra nodded. "They're okay. So far they haven't asked me to explain more of my past."

"But for Young Midoriya."

Terra flinched.

"I saw how you were towards him earlier today. You're still unsure if he'll keep my secret."

"I can't help it," Terra mumbled.

"I know. And that's why I've decided to train you two together before the sports festival."

"What?!" Terra jerked her eyes towards him.

"That's right." Smoke wafted from Toshinori's body as he transformed into All Might. "From now until the sports festival ends I will be training you and Young Midoriya side by side."

"Uncle Toshi!"

"No arguing, young lady." Turning back, Toshinori tapped her nose.

Terra puffed out her cheeks then said, "Fine. But you have to stay and watch movies with me until I fall asleep."

"Deal."

"I'm home!" Tomoko called out an hour later. "Something smells good." She walked into the kitchen. "Oh, Toshi."

"Welcome home." Toshinori smiled.

"Dinner is all ready." Terra sat the bowl of mashed potatoes on the table. "Uncle Toshi's going to stay for movies, too."

"Really?" Tomoko blinked. "It's a school night though."

"No problem." Toshinori sat down. "It's not like I have papers to grade."

"True." Tomoko nodded and sat down. "So how is work going?"

"It's fine. There are a lot of promising young heroes this year. I can't wait to see how they grow," Toshinori said.

"You mean how Midoriya grows," Terra grumbled around a mouthful of food.

"That's not true. I want to see how they all grow," Toshinori said.

Terra squinted at him. "You favor Midoriya. Almost more than you do me."

"Hey. No one can ever take your place." Toshinori ruffled her hair.

"But you do favor him."

Toshinori sighed. "Sometimes you're too observant for your own good."

Terra shrugged.

"Okay, it's true. I do have a special eye on Young Midoriya. But that's all I will tell you," Toshinori said. "If you want to know more you'll have to speak with him."

"Uh huh. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to talk while you train us," Terra grumbled as she continued eating.

"What are you two talking about?" Tomoko asked.

"I am going to supervise Young Midoriya and Terra in training for the sports festival." Toshinori grinned.

"I see." Tomoko picked up her fork.

The rest of dinner passed without any more mention of the hero school or students. The three moved into the living room to start their movies. Terra put in the first movie then took her spot beside Toshinori on the couch, tucked comfortably under his arm.

…

"Sorry she made you stay until she fell asleep." Tomoko clicked off the TV, plunging the room into low light from the lamp.

"I didn't mind at all." Toshinori shifted on the couch, careful not to disturb Terra's sleep, and picked her up. "She's worried about what happened at the USJ. That it might happen again. I want her to be comfortable."

"Oh? Is that why you're going to force her to battle with Midoriya?" Tomoko faced the man and crossed her arms.

"So you picked up on that, huh?" Toshinori stepped around the coffee table and headed for the kitchen.

"Hard not to." Tomoko followed and opened the elevator. The small room hummed as it took them underground. Soft lights lit up as they stepped out of the elevator and made their way to Terra's room. "Are you sure it's a good idea to push her like that?"

"It'll be fine," Toshinori said stepping into the bedroom. "Young Midoriya will be a great friend to her. He'll be strong. Just like Young Todoroki."

"I see." Tomoko leaned against the doorframe of the room. "You're trying to make sure she's got solid support. This Midoriya is your replacement."

Toshinori laid Terra on the bed and pulled the cover over her. A soft expression over took his eyes.

"You should tell her the truth," Tomoko said.

"I can't." Toshinori brushed his fingers over her bangs before letting them fall back into place. His eyes landed on the frog plushie he gave her as a child. It sat in the corner of the bed, always close by. "She relies on me too much. How can I tell her that my quirk has been passed onto the next generation and that I'm going to die?"

"You have to tell her. She's going to figure it out. It'll be better coming from you. She's already suspicious of Midoriya."

Toshinori sighed and sat down on the bed. "You might be right. But I still can't do it. She can't rely on me forever. She needs to build friendships and tell them the whole truth."

"I don't think she'll ever tell anyone. You know she still hadn't come to terms with what happened."

"I know." Toshinori nodded. "That's one of the main reasons I was determined to get her into UA's hero course. I want her to become stronger for the next time she becomes a target."


	10. Classmates P1

Classmates

Part One

"Now that you guys have had a night to think about the sports festival we have more to discuss on it. In the days leading up to it, we'll be dedicating our hero training course to your preparation for the festival," Aizawa said. "However, you will be training on your own while using the school's available facilities. Don't expect any of us teachers here to give you any advice. This is the time for your own self reflection of your own strengths and weaknesses."

"Nice! There's something I want to try with my suit," Sero said with grin.

"That won't be necessary," Aizawa said. "Hero suits are not permitted during the sports festival."

"What?" Kaminari asked. "Why not?"

"It would be too much of an advantage for the hero course against the rest of the student body who are participating in the event," Yaoyorozu said.

"So not everyone here is participating?" Terra asked.

"No, the marketing students aren't because there's no reason for them to," Yaoyorozu said.

"Oh." Terra tilted her head. "I see."

Aizawa nodded. "That is right. And keep in mind we have taken measures in order to keep the playing field as level as possible. While a lot of the other students don't take hero courses you shouldn't take them lightly. This will not be a walk in the park. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir!" the class said in unison. Terra didn't reply. She only twisted a strand of hair around her finger.

"Good. For today's class you will plan out a training program that will best suit your needs. Here's a handout. Just fill that in and pass it to me by the end of class." Aizawa stepped around the podium and passed stacks of paper to the students sitting in the front row. "And I'll reserve the appropriate training grounds for you guys."

"Yes, sir!"

"Then get to writing."

Terra sighed as she pulled out her pencil and started writing. All Might had instructed her what to do for this part of her training. She and Midoriya were going to be training together so they both were supposed to write down the same training areas. Part of the time it would be in residential areas while other times it would be in the woods surrounding the campus. It was All Might's way of keeping their strengths and weaknesses balanced between her and Midoriya. So she did. Reluctantly.

After they turned in their paperwork the school day proceeded. Terra buried herself in the lectures so she wouldn't have to think about her up and coming training sessions with Midoriya.

"You're going to be fine," Todoroki said.

Terra hung on his shoulder as they trudged down the hall towards the lunchroom. "No, I'm not. This is going to be the first time I've been around someone I don't know without you. Why don't you come with me?"

"I have my own training to do."

"You're so mean." Terra whimpered. "Please? We can train together."

"We've been training together for years. This is a good chance for you to learn more about a classmate."

"Says the one who barely speaks to our classmates," Terra grumbled. "I _have_ been talking to them."

"You've been talking mostly to Yaoyorozu, Asui, Koda, and Ojiro." Todoroki shot her a sideways glance. "And Koda never speaks with words."

"Well, I like them."

"You'll like Midoriya, too." They paused on a stair platform. "You know you need to do this."

Terra stared into his eyes. It was easy to see. He really wanted her to do it. He wanted her to make more friends, or at least put an effort into doing it. Her shoulders slumped. "Fine. I'll give it a chance for you."

"That's my girl." Todoroki ruffled her hair.

Terra took his hand away from her hair and wrapped their elbows together. "But know I'm blaming you if this doesn't go well."

"If it doesn't go well that means you didn't try."

Terra sighed. "You do know me far too well."

Todoroki smiled.

Terra squealed and hugged his arm. "I love it when you smile!"

A voice cleared behind them. "Excuse me." They turned to find Tokoyami standing there. "Sorry, but you're kind of blocking the stairs."

"Sorry." Terra pulled Todoroki out of the way. As Tokoyami passed by them, Todoroki elbowed her. "What?"  
Todoroki jerked his head at Tokoyami.

Terra rolled her head back before calling out to their classmate. "Hey, Tokoyami."

"Yes?" Tokoyami turned around.

"Would you… like to join us for lunch?" Terra shifted on her feet.

Tokoyami looked between the two friends before nodding. "Sure. I would enjoy that."

The three continued on down the stairs and into the noisy lunchroom. Standing in line Todoroki kept giving her encouraging stares to talk to Tokoyami. Terra pursed her lips in an attempt to think of a topic to bring up. The only thing that came to mind was quirks. "So, Tokoyami, your quirk."

"Yes? What about it?"

"It's called a Dark Shadow, right?"  
"That is correct."

"I watched you use it… Or is it a male or female? Should I even ask that? Sorry if it's too personal. Forget it. I don't have to know. I was only trying to make conversation. It's not something I'm very good at. You know?" Terra rubbed her head. "Of course you don't. You're good at speaking with people."

"Terra, it's fine for you to ask me questions about my quirk," Tokoyami said. "Yes, Dark Shadow is male. What else do you want to know?"

"Oh, um, well…" Terra tapped her chin. "Is he under your control or does he have his own free will?"

"Both. Dark Shadow has his own mind, but he also follows my orders." Tokoyami closed his eyes and crossed his arms for a moment before looking at her again. "I guess you can think of Dark Shadow as a personal body guard."

"Really? That's so cool." Terra's eyes widened.

"Thank you." Dark Shadow slipped out of Tokoyami's chest and rubbed against Terra.

"So cute!" Terra hugged Dark Shadow. "He kind of looks like you."

Tokoyami smiled.

"Let's see… Going by our basic hero training the other day you appear to be a long range fighter."

"That's correct. My fighting skills are suited best for long range fighting."

"That's something we have in common then." Terra stroked Dark Shadow as she smiled at Tokoyami. "I'm better at long distance fighting than close distance. Though I don't have as long of a range as you do with Dark Shadow." She formed her hand and arm into a vine. "I mean with my vines coming from my body."

"I'm sure you'll be able to extend your distance." The line moved forward. "Have you ever considered shooting out thorns?"  
"No, I haven't." Terra's arm went back to normal. She produced a thorn and looked at it. "I'll have to try that."

After getting their lunch they sat down and continued to talk about their quirks and the up and coming sports festival. And before she knew it, she was standing with All Might and Midoriya. She breathed in the smell of woods and flowers, wishing this was over, as Midoriya fidgeted a few feet from her.

"Are… are you sure about this, All Might?" Midoriya asked, flicking a quick glance at Terra.

"What? Of course I'm sure! You two will make a great sparring pair!" All Might laughed.

"Hm?" Terra landed her eyes on him. "Seriously?"

"Of course." Fisting his hand on his hip, All Might held up a finger. "And it'll be a great chance for you two to bond."

"You sure want us to be friends a lot," Midoriya said.

"Of course I do! You two will become the best of friends!" All Might threw his hands in the air before placing them back on his hips. "Now let's get started. Young Midoriya, I want you to attack Terra. Terra, you'll use your vines to block his advances."

"So you want us to get use to each others fighting styles?" Midoriya asked.

"That's right, Young Midoriya." All Might nodded. "Get to know each other first then we'll move on to more harder training. So get started!"

"Fine. Let's get this over with." Terra crossed her arms.

Midoriya gulped and nodded before walking a few steps away from her.

All Might moved back under a tree and crossed his arms.

Terra shot out her hand. A large vine shot out and wrapped around Midoriya's waist before she lifted him into the air.

Midoriya screamed as he rose. "Whoa! Hey! Hold on! This is way too high!"

"What? I can't here you." Terra cupped her hand over her ear.

"Let me down!"  
All Might cleared his throat. "Terra."

"Sorry." Terra ducked her head and lowered the boy back to the ground.

Midoriya dropped to his hands and knees. "That was so scary."

"Let's get on with it." Terra formed vines from her fingers.

"Right." Midoriya stood. "I'm ready."

Terra shot out four vines from her right hand. She waited for Midoriya to focus fully on those vines before letting four vines from her left hand curve to his side.

Midoriya pulled back his fist, ready for a punch. As he drew back to throw it, Terra's vines wrapped around him. "What?! Where did those come from?!"

"You have to be on your toes, Young Midoriya," All Might said. "In this area Terra has the advantage. And that's only from using vines from her body. Wait until she starts using the plants around you."

"What?!" Midoriya gasped, eyes darting all over the place.

Terra sighed and put her hands behind her head. "Are you just now noticing that? All Might picked this place so I would have an advantage over you."

"That and if you two do any damage there won't be much to fix," All Might said.

"And vines aren't my only trick!" Terra formed her arms and hands into thorns and rushed forward. Pulling back she thrust a thorn forward.

Midoriya screamed and jerked to his left.

"Not too back. But you're going to have to move faster than that." Terra thrust her thorns multiple times. She nicked his cheek and shoulder.

"You are way too fast!" Midoriya jumped back from her.

"Or you're way too slow!" Terra charged at him.

Suddenly Midoriya held his ground.

Terra frowned, curious to what he was up to. She thrust a thorn at him. His hand shot up, blocking her strike, then he grabbed her arm. Terra was lifted off her feet. Her back collided with the ground. Her mouth fell open as she stared up at leaves and branches. Midoriya had flipped her.

"I may not be the fastest guy at school but neither am I the slowest," Midoriya said.

With a huff Terra pushed herself of the ground. She snapped her vines out, trying to hit him or grab him. Each attempt ended in failure. She growled and rushed forward. Halfway through a thorn thrust she switched back to her hand. Midoriya blocked the punch with his wrist then threw a punch back.

Several punches and kicks were thrown before Terra wrapped a vine around his ankle and threw him into a tree.

"You're not bad," Midoriya coughed out while he picked himself up. "But why don't you show this kind of strength at school? You've clearly got great control over you quirk. You can do a lot bet-"

"That's none of your business!" Terra snapped.

"Terra, Young Midoriya is not your enemy," All Might said in a warning tone.

Terra gritted her teeth and clenched her hands.

"Take a moment to call yourself then continue," All Might said.

Terra closed her eyes. Drawing in a breath she held it for a second then released it slowly. She clung to All Might's words. _"Young Midoriya is not your enemy."_ She opened her eyes. "I'm ready."

Midoriya nodded. The two charged at each other. They exchanged a few blows with their hands and feet before switching to her quirk.

Over the next several hours they continued to spar with each other. Soon the sun started to go down. Crickets stared to sing.

Muscles aching, Terra dropped to her knees. Sweat poured down her body.

"Here." All Might handed her one of the extra water bottles he had brought for her and one to Midoriya.

"Thanks." Midoriya popped the top and guzzled the water down.

Terra sipped at hers while watching the green haired boy.

"You two did rather well today," All Might said.

"You think so?" Midoriya jumped. "I wasn't so sure."

"You did." All Might nodded.

"Only because he didn't use his quirk," Terra said.

"Yeah, well, I'm still learning how to get control over it. I can't keep getting hurt." Midoriya chuckled nervously.

"Whatever." Terra scoffed. _This guy… What's his deal? His fighting style is still very similar to Uncle Toshi's. I wonder if he'll keep that up or change it. If he keeps that style then he'll be very predictable._ "Your technique stinks."

"Huh?" Midoriya blinked.

"You fight too much like All Might. You need your own style."

"My own style? You think so?"  
"I know so." Terra pushed herself to her feet. "You're too predictable this way."

"You might be right."

"Can I go home now?"

"Yes. We'll pick this up tomorrow," All Might said.

…

The days passed. Their training rotated between close range combat in the forest and teamwork in trying to apprehend a villain like they did the first day in All Might's class. All Might played the villain, though he didn't attack them outright. He would only throw slow, very slow, punches at them. Even playing at such a low level, the two teens had a hard time apprehending him. They only managed to capture him once. Currently they were chasing after him around a city block.

Terra stumbled to a stop. Placing her hands on her knees she patted. "Can we… stop for… a moment?"

"Fine… by me." Midoriya dropped onto the ground beside her. "I can't… believe this. There's no way we… can catch him."

Terra nodded. "We'd need a super speed quirk to catch him. I think the first time we did was a fluke."

"I think he's toying with us," Midoriya said. "He knows there's no way we can catch up to him."

Terra sat down. "That might be the point."

"Huh?" Midoriya gave her a sideways glance.

"We can't catch him. He knows that. He's using that to train us. We'll be a lot faster on our feet with all this running."

"I should have known." Midoriya slumped.

Terra took her water bottles off her hips and handed one to him. "Here."

"Thanks." The two sat in quiet for a few minutes before forcing themselves back to their feet. "Let's get back to it."

They walked through the area, unable to find where All Might went. Terra paused and planted her hands on her hips. "This isn't getting us anywhere. Why don't we split up for a while? We can meet back here in thirty minutes."

"Sounds like that might be the best idea." Midoriya nodded and pointed right. "I'll go this way."

"I'll head up on that roof." Terra glanced up to the apartment building towering over them. "I might be able to get a glimpse of All Might up there."

"Good plan. If you spot him point the way with your vines and I'll head that way." Midoriya ran off.

Terra ran into the alley and shot a vine up to the fire escape. She pulled herself up until she landed on the roof. Standing at the edge she looked around. Suddenly a rush of wind hit her. The ground under her feet gave way. Her body plummeted. She moved to call out her vines to grab herself but she stopped when Midoriya called her name. Turning her eyes down she noticed Midoriya jumping towards her. Then his arms were around her. They landed on the ground with a hard thud. Her eyes locked onto his face.

"You okay?" Midoriya scanned her for injuries.

Terra opened her mouth. But, for a moment, nothing came out. She was shocked. This guy had saved her. This guy who she didn't like and made no attempt at hiding or changing it. "Why did you do that? I could have saved myself. Beside you were supposed to be heading in the opposite direction."

"Yeah, I know." Midoriya sat her down on her feet. "I felt that gust of wind and looked back and saw you falling. I just reacted. It's what a hero does after all."

"I don't understand you." Terra turned fully to him. "I've been mean to you."

"No, that's not true." Midoriya shook his head. "You've been a bit hostile, but that's understandable. Though I don't know why, I can tell All Might is important to you. I'm not going to do anything to upset that."

Terra licked her lips then parted them.

"Well done, you two." All Might clapped as he walked up to them. "I think you two are coming closer to working together as a good team. You did very well with my attack there."

"You think so?" Midoriya spoke with hope but quickly ducked his head.

All Might nodded.

"You did that on purpose?" Terra glared at him.

"Uh, well, yes. It wouldn't be much of a training session if the villain didn't attack." All Might cleared his throat. "Anyway, you two deserve a break. Why don't you have some lunch? I have a picnic lunch ready for you two just outside the training area here."

"Just us? You not going to eat, too?" Terra cocked an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about me. Right now I have to run a quick errand." He struck a pose to run off. "Be back in a flash!" Dusts rose up from his feet as he dashed away from them.

"Geez." Terra fanned the air. "I wish he wouldn't do that."

"He certainly knows how to make an exit." Midoriya snuck a glance at her then headed for the exit. "Shall we eat? I am hungry."  
"Fine." Terra huffed and followed him.

…

All Might continued to run. He exited the training ground then ran through the forest. From the corner of his eye he spotted Tomoko and skidded to a spot.

"Are you sure about leaving them alone like this?" Tomoko asked.

"I believe so. That's why I said I had an errand to run." All Might walked back to her.

"Spying on them." Tomoko shook her head and crossed her arms. "You can be so childish at times."

"Oh?" All Might leaned in closer to her. "And why are you here?"  
Tomoko flushed and stammered. "Well… I'm was, um, coming to… check on my daughter. Yeah! That's it!" She nodded. "It's my duty as her mother to keep a close eye on her."

"Uh huh." All Might chuckled and transformed back to his weaker form. "You're concerned about how she'll react towards Young Midoriya."

"Whatever! Just shut up!" With flushed cheeks Tomoko turned from him.

…

The two teenagers ate in silence amidst the shadows of the trees. Terra took a couple glances at Midoriya, attempting to figure him out. She made it well known she didn't trust him. Yet he still helped her, even if she didn't need it. Why? Was it really because he wanted to be a hero? Or what it something else? Her mind drifted to his relationship with Bakugo. Bakugo walked all over Midoriya, called him names, and Midoriya didn't seem to care or do anything about it. Did that mean Midoriya was a doormat? No, if that were the case then he wouldn't be at this school. So what was it? What did this boy want?

"So, um, about your quirk. Is it hard to switch back and forth between plants from your body and those from the ground?" Midoriya asked with a quick glance at her.

"No, switching is easy." Terra kicked out her feet in front of her and leaned back on her hands. "Using them at the same time is difficult."

"How so?"

Terra closed her eyes to think, trying to figure out how to describe it best. She looked at him. "Well, I guess you can look at my vines like extra limbs." Vines replaced her fingers. "Controlling your own limbs is extremely easy because they are a part of you." She demonstrated by picking up a three rocks sitting beside her then placed it back down between them. "Now if I were to use your hand to pick it up…" She took a hold of Midoriya's hand and tried to pick up the rock again. The rocks slipped from his fingers. "See? Not that easy. Of course a rock is easier to pick up than fight a villain."

"I see. Is that something you're going to try and over come?"

"I haven't put much thought into it." Terra put her hands back behind her.

"You should."

"Hm?" Terra gave him a sideways glance.

"Well, think about it. Say you're in a hostage situation," Midoriya said. "You're facing off against the villain but the villain has a gun on the victim. He'll be able to see your vines from your body coming towards him. But if you're outside or in a building with plants you can use those to sneak upon the villain from behind and keep him from using the gun."

Terra hummed in thought while examining the boy beside her. "You… are very good at this."

"Yeah, well." Midoriya flushed and rubbed the back of his head. "As you've already seen I'm a bit of a fan boy."

"You're so weird. A few minutes of silence passed between them as Terra thought about the boy next to her. Maybe he was being sincere this whole time. Maybe Toshinori was right. Maybe they would be good friends, if they were to become friends. Toshinori, her mom, and Todoroki seemed to think it was a good idea. And the few friends she did make in their class it felt good to her to have them. She really did like them. "You know… I'm still not sure of you."

"Oh." Midoriya ducked his head.

Terra pulled a few pieces of grass up and left them fall through her fingers. "But if you want to… exchange numbers… we can."

"Really?" He looked at her.  
Terra nodded.

"I'd like that." Midoriya smiled.

…

"Thanks for walking me home, Uncle Toshi." Terra turned to him. "You coming in?"  
"No, I'm going to go on home. It's been a long day." Toshinori hugged her. "See you later. Get some rest, kid."

"You too. Good night."

Toshinori kissed her forehead and walked away.

Terra watched him go before heading inside. A smile pulled across her lips. "Sho-chan."

"About time you got back." Todoroki placed his book down on the couch and stood up. "I have soba ready."

"Great. I'm starving." Terra went to the table and sat down while Todoroki got their meal out. She slumped onto the table. "I'm exhausted."

"Then you'll sleep very well tonight." Todoroki placed their bowls of soba on the table then got them some tea before joining her.

"If I make it to bed. I think I might sleep right here after eating." Terra pushed her hand over the table until she bumped the chopsticks.

"You will sleep in your bed. After you take a shower. You stink."

"You sound like a parent." Terra sat up. "It's not my fault I smell. All Might had us running ragged all day."

"Someone has to take care of you." Todoroki smirked.

Terra rolled her eyes as she broke apart her chopsticks. She slurped up some noodles before telling him about her day. "I gave Midoriya my number."

"Oh?"

"He gave me his. I still don't trust him though." Terra narrowed her eyebrows.

"That's fine. Trust will come in its own time. It won't be as easy as it was with me."

With a sigh Terra leaned back in her chair, thinking about the day they meet. "I know, Sho-chan. I know."


	11. Classmates P2

Classmates

Part Two

"You really didn't have to skip work to walk me to the mall, Mom." Terra glanced up at her mom. The older woman was taking happy strides with a seemingly unshakable smile on her lips as her heels tapped the sidewalk.

"I don't mind. I'd love to meet some of your classmates." Tomoko gave her a sideways glance. "You could invite them over, you know."

"No thanks." Terra shook her head. "You know that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Of course it's good idea." Tomoko huffed. "They can stay above ground. The elevator is hidden well enough. And I doubt they'll go snooping around. Besides they can't get in our real home without us taking them there or being keyed into the security system. Well, I suppose they could also hack the security system… but I doubt they have that kind of skill."

"I don't want to chance it," Terra said with a touch of harshness in her tone. "Please, Mom, let it go."

"Fine." Tomoko sighed. "But only for now. I'll let you get more use to being around them before I start whittling on you to invite them over. Oh, look. We've made it."

Terra turned her eyes to the multilayered building. It was a cross between an outdoor and indoor mall with a fountain in the direct center of the ground level. Stairs led up to the next level of stores. It was the first of its kind that she had seen. All the malls she has seen on TV or the internet were fully closed in.

"Terra!" Ashido waved. "You made it!"

"Yeah." Terra nodded as she walked up to the girls. She cocked her head, noting it was odd seeing them out of their school uniforms. All but Jiro and herself were wearing skirts.

"Oh, hello, ma'am," Ashido said when she noticed the woman standing next to Terra.

"Hello, girls." Tomoko smiled. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Terra's mom, Tomoko.

"Nice to meet you," the girls said before giving their names to Tomoko.

"Thank you for letting Terra come with us." Uraraka bowed to Tomoko.

"Not a problem. I'm glad she's making friends," Tomoko said then looked at her watch.

"Will you be joining us?" Asui asked.

"No, I have to get back to work soon. I just wanted to meet the girls my sweet baby was going to spend the day with." Tomoko stroked Terra's hair.

"Mom," Terra said in a pleading tone.

"Okay, okay. I'm going now." Tomoko walked away from them while waving. "Have a good day! Remember your uncle will be picking you up later!"

"I know." Terra waved back. "See you back home."

"Well, your mom seems nice." Yaoyorozu crossed her arms with a smile. "I'm glad you're here. For a while I thought you wouldn't come."

Terra stared at her for a moment before replying. "Yeah. She's great, if not a little crazy at times. I'm, uh, glad to have been able to come." She looked at the mall and all the shoppers scurrying around. Her heart raced. She gulped. "I think. This is the first time I've been to a mall."

"Ribbit. Really?"

Terra nodded. "Never had a need to come."

"You seem to be warming up to everyone," Jiro said. "You're talking more openly with us. And without babbling."

Terra shrugged. "A bit, I guess." She glanced around again. People scurried from one shop to another. A few stood around talking with each other. All seemed happy and unaware of UA students in their midst. She hoped it stayed that way. "So what are we going to do? I'm assuming this mall is like all the others? Clearly there are plenty of stores to shop in. Is there an arcade? A food court?"

"Shop!" Ashido and Hagakure cheered as they jumped into the air.

"Shopping would be nice," Asui said. "Then maybe we can get something to eat at the food court if everyone brought enough money. What about you, Terra?"

"Yeah. I have plenty of money. Mom even gave me her credit card." Terra patted her hip pocket to make sure the card and cash was still there. They were. "Though I doubt I'll use it. I don't really need anything."

"It's fine. It's fun to look around whether you buy anything or not. So let's get started," Jiro said leading the way. "I need some new guitar picks."

"You play?" Terra asked.

Jiro nodded. "My family is really into music. My dad taught me. Do you play an instrument?"

"No, not really. I did when I was younger for education purposes. But it never grabbed my attention," Terra said.

"Same here. I don't have the patients to sit down and learn something like that," Ashido said.

"I can play the flute," Hagakure said. "But not a good as I use to be. Since I decided to become a hero I haven't had much time to play."

"I don't play either," Asui said.

"Same. I've dabbled with a harmonica once before." Uraraka rubbed her head. "I was terrible."

"So how is everyone's training going?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Exhausting." Ashido's shoulders slumped.

"Same," the girls said with nods of their heads.

"How about you, Terra? How is your training going?" Asui asked.

"It's going well. I guess." Terra glanced up at the sky and thought about Midoriya and their training. Things were definitely changing. Though she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. Then her past flashed back into her mind. She grimaced.

"You don't sound very convincing," Yaoyorozu said.

"Well, I've trained a bit with Midoriya."

"You have?" Hagakure asked. "Can we do that?"  
"There's not rules saying we can't," Yaoyorozu said. "All Mr. Aizawa said is not to expect teachers to help."

"It was actually my uncle's idea," Terra said, careful not to mention who her uncle was. Though she was sure they didn't know All Might's civilian name she still didn't want to chance it right now. She was sure they'd meet him soon enough. He was coming to pick her up after all. She licked her lips. Would they notice any similarities between him and All Might? "He's a bit concerned about me making friends now that I'm in a public school. He likes Midoriya and thought we'd make good friends. So he arranged for us to practice together."

"And are you getting long with him now?" Jiro asked.

Terra shrugged. "Making friends is still new to me. But I think things will be okay. We exchanged phone numbers a few days ago."

"That's good to hear. Sounds like you two have come to an understanding." Jiro smiled. "I'm glad all of our classmates are nice."

"Except for Bakugo," Ashido said. "He's so snappy and loud."

"And intense," Asui added. "His quirk and personality really match well together."

"I think he's just prideful," Yaoyorozu said. "Too prideful."

"I hope he doesn't hurt Midoriya again," Uraraka said. "Their fight during hero class was too intense."

"You didn't even see it," Jiro said.

"I heard about it," Uraraka said. "Deku told me about it later when we spoke."

"It was. But I'm sure All Might won't let it happen again. I'm not really sure why he didn't stop the fight immediately. But he's a good man. I'm sure he had his reasons. Though I'm not so sure what would happen if the rest of the school faculty found out about what he did. I wonder if All Might would get fired." The girls started laughed. Terra looked at them. "What?"

"You're babbling again," Jiro said.

"Oh. Sorry." Terra spotted a store displaying records and instruments in their window. "Is that the music store you were looking for?"  
"That's it." Jiro headed for the store.

Terra stepped into a rush of cool air. The girls instantly fanned out. Ashido and Hagakure put on headphones and listened to music as they danced in place. Jiro went to the picks while the rest of the girls eyed the merchandise in the store. Terra moved closer to Asui, who was looking at an album of a rock band she's never heard of. "You like rock music?"

"A little bit," Asui said. "My tastes in music are a bit all over the place. What do you like?"

"Well, mostly soundtracks with soft music. One of my favorites is of a rainforest. It's very soothing. It calms me down when I'm stressed," Terra said.

"Sounds nice."

"Would you like to hear it?"  
Asui nodded.

"Birdie, play calming soundtrack." Birdie's beak fell open to soft music.

Asui hummed and closed her eyes. "That is nice. Very soothing. I can see why you would use this to calm down. Makes me want to curl up and take a nap."

"All right! I've got my picks!" Jiro walked over to them. "We can move on to the next store now."

They left the store and walked into another. Fabric filled the air. Yaoyorozu clapped her hands together. "Oh, that skirt is so cute!"  
Terra watched the girl rush up to a mini skirt.

"I think this one would look very cute on you." Yaoyorozu grabbed a dark red skirt off the rack and held it up to Terra.

"I agree!" Ashido grabbed a white shirt with a couple yellow dots on the chest. "And with this shirt!"

"You think?" Terra asked.

"Totally! You should buy it!" Ashido nodded.

"Do you even wear skirts?" Asui asked.

"Sometimes." Terra took the shirt and skirt and stepped up to a mirror. She had to admit that she did look good in the clothes. The skirt reminded her of Christmas. With some black leggings the skirt would make a cute holiday outfit.

"Are you going to get it?" Uraraka asked.

"I guess so." Terra picked out her sizes then followed the girls around as they continued to pick through the clothes. When they were done they paid for their purchases and headed for the next store.

One by one they popped into one store or another, trying on clothes or just looking around before they finally stopped at the food court. Terra took off her shoes and rubbed her throbbing feet. "I don't think I've ever walked so much in my life."

"So how did you like your first trip to the mall. It was amazing, wasn't it?" Ashido's grin brightened.

"Well, it was definitely an interesting experience."

"We'll have to do this again some day," Hagakure said. The girls agreed.

Terra nodded but thought if every trip to the mall ended up with her feet throbbing so hard she was going to do her best to avoid it at all cost.

A minute later Jiro and Asui walked over with their smoothies. "Here you go."

"Drink up while they're nice and cool." Asui sat beside Terra.

Cherry flavor coated Terra's tongue. "So good."

"So, Terra, what's it like being best friends with Todoroki?" Ashido asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Terra blinked.

"Is Todoroki as stiff at home as he is at school? Have you seen his room? What's it like?" Ashido rested her chin in her palms, elbows on the table in front of her.

"What's Endeavor like in person?" Hagakure asked. "Is he as scary as he looks?"

Terra swirled her straw in her smoothie. Why did they have to ask about him of all people? She knew well enough that Sho-chan wasn't one to tell others about his home life. And she was certain he wouldn't want her to tell them anything.

"Come on, spill girl," Ashido said.

"Why are you so curious about Sho-chan?" Terra had to deflect their interest in her best friend.

"Because she thinks he's the cutest guy in school," Asui said. "Ribbit."

"Do you blame me?" Ashido fidgeted in her chair. "He _is_ the cutest guy in school!"

"So is this what girls typically do when guys aren't around? Talk about them?" Terra asked.

"Haven't you ever hung out with a group of girls before?" Hagakure asked.

Terra shook her head and dropped her eyes to her drink. "Being homeschooled didn't leave much time for socializing with others my age. The only others I've been around is Sho-chan and his siblings."

"That sounds so lonely," Uraraka said.

"Not really." Terra swallowed. "I'm more of a loner anyway."

"I could never be that way." Ashido slumped in her chair. "I crave socialization."

"Me too." Hagakure nodded.

"I would be able to handle it for a while," Yaoyorozu said. "But after a while I'd miss others, especially shopping."

"I could handle it for a while, too," Uraraka said. "I like my alone time to chill out and clear my mind."

"Same here. It gives me time to work on my music without interruptions." Jiro took a swig of her smoothie.

"Oh!" Ashido pumped her hands. "So does anyone here have a crush on a guy yet?"

"Ribbit. I don't think we've had enough time with guys at school to have developed crushes yet," Asui said. "At least not seriously."

"I've seen plenty of cute guys at school." Ashido grinned. "I wonder if we'll have time to go dates."

"Does the school even allow that?" Hagakure said. "I know some schools don't."

"I haven't heard or read anything about limitations on dating," Yaoyorozu said. "But we could ask Mister Aizawa about it later to be sure."

"I think we'll be too busy with lessons to go on dates," Uraraka said. "At least while classes are in session. I suppose we could do things like dating during breaks."

"I'm personally too busy to date." Jiro twisted her ear jack around her finger. "I'd rather not get into all the problems of dating right now anyway. Maybe during our second year when we have more experience with our classes under our belts I think about it. Now's not the time for me."

Terra exhaled with relief internally. It appeared she managed to get off the subject of Todoroki and on dating in general. She hoped it stayed that way.

"Okay!" Ashido jumped into the air. "Now that we're finish loading up, let's get back to shopping!"

Terra bit back a groan but slipped her shoes back on and followed the girls anyway. Store after store she trudged along, listening to the girls talk about whatever topic popped in their heads as they tried on clothes, looked at makeup, or speak to some guys. In the current store Terra broke away from the girls and sat down in a chair near the changing rooms. Her leg muscles gave a grateful throb the second she sat down.

"Terra." Asui walked over.

"Hm?"  
"Are you upset?"

"No. Why?"

"You seem a lot quieter than normal since we had our smoothies." Asui sat down beside Terra. "Is it because the girls were pressuring you about Todoroki?"

"No, it's not that." Terra paused before speaking again. "Well, maybe a little. I don't mean that in a bad way. I'm not sure what the proper etiquette is for that type of talk." She twisted her lips. _That and I'm fairly sure Sho-chan doesn't want people to know about abusive his dad has been to him. I really should talk to him about this._

Asui nodded. "That's understandable. I think we all forget that you were homeschooled. Things will be different between us for a while. But I'm sure you'll get use to how things work in a public school and all the socialization that goes with it."

"So people keep saying." Terra sighed.

"Ribbit." Asui tilted her head but said nothing more.

…

A couple hours later the girls made their way to the front of the mall to say their goodbyes and head home.

"Terra."

Terra turned to the call of her name. She spotted the familiar blonde hair of her uncle working his way over to them.

"Who's that guy?" Asui asked.

"This is my Uncle Toshinori. He came to pick me up."

"Nice to meet you, sir." The girls bowed when he reached them.

"Nice to meet you all, too." Toshinori smiled with a wave then looked at Terra. "Are you ready to go?"  
"Yes." Terra nodded. The girls said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

"Did you have fun?" Toshinori asked as they walked away from the mall.

"I did. It was… nice. I guess a little bit." Terra slumped forward as she walked along side Toshinori. "Even though I only bought one outfit. But I am exhausted. I don't ever want to see another mall again."

Toshinori chuckled. "I'm glad to hear you had some fun. We should think about increasing your leg exercises. You're going to need more muscle know that you're in UA." He put his arm around her shoulders. "I knew you'd do great at UA."

Terra snorted. "Maybe for the moment. But that remains to be seen."

"Admit it. You like it at UA." Toshinori tightened his arm around her.

"No. I don't."

"You do to."

"Not."

"To!"

"Not!"

…

Terra forced her body the last few feet to the Todoroki's bed and fell face first onto it. Birdie flew off her shoulder and landed on his desk. "I think my legs are going to fall off."

"A little bit dramatic, don't you think?" Todoroki flickered a glance at her before going back to his homework.

"You wouldn't say that if you were in my place." Terra rolled onto her back. A few moments of silence settled over the room. The girls attempted conversation about her best friend came marching back into her mind. "They asked about you and what you're like at home."

Todoroki's pencil paused. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. I managed to avoid answering. I didn't think you'd want me to say anything."

"Thanks."

More silence fell over the room. "Are you going to tell them?"

"Are _you_ going to tell them?"

Terra didn't answer.

Todoroki sighed then joined her on his bed. "We don't have to tell anyone anything right now." He took her hand in his. "But if you want to tell them at any point in time I'll be there for you, Ter-chan."

"I know, Sho-chan." Terra curled her fingers around his. "Thanks."


	12. Obstacle Course

Obstacle Course

"Oh, my sweet baby!" Tomoko threw her arms around Terra neck and squeezed.

"Mom," Terra wheezed out. "You really didn't have to come. I'm not going to win anything here."

"Don't talk like that." Tomoko held Terra at arms link and gave her a pointed look. "You could if you wanted to."

"Well, I don't want to. So I'm not going to. I've decided I'm only here to support Sho-chan." Terra looked at her uncle. "Uncle Toshi, can you get Mom to her seat? I need to get changed."

"Sure thing." Toshinori ruffled Terra's hair. "Do you best, okay? At least give it a decent try. For me?"

Terra sighed. "Fine. I'll do it for you. But don't expect me to win. I'm not going to."

"Okay, okay. That's good enough." Toshinori patted her head then walked down the hall with Tomoko.

"Be careful!" Tomoko waved before disappearing round the corner.

Terra released another sigh before heading into the changing room. The girls were already inside getting dressed for the event.

"Ribbit. Terra, you're here," Asui said. "I was starting to wonder if you would show up."

"Mom wouldn't let me go." Terra opened a locker and set her bag inside then started changing.

"This is so exciting!" Ashido gushed.

"I know!" Hagakure agreed.

"I'm so nervous." Uraraka pressed a hand to her chest. "I hope I don't throw up."

"There's no reason to be nervous," Yaoyorozu said. "Just think of this as another day in class."

"With a couple million more people watching us." Asui pressed her finger to her chin. "Ribbit."

"Why did you have to say that?" Yaoyorozu groaned.

Terra's stomach tightened at the fact that this event was being broadcast to the public. Not to mention all the people that would be in the stands watching them.

This was a bad idea. What was she thinking agreeing to do all of this? She could hurt so many people here. How many of those in the stands were heroes? How many were civilians? Would they be able to block her if she ended up attacking?

A cold panic rushed from the inside out as her past came rushing back to her. The walls started closing in on her, clamping down on her lungs making it hard to breath. This was a mistake. She had to leave. This whole thing was a mistake. She had to run. Her body turned towards the door. This would be her only chance to get away from this.

A hand landed on her shoulder. "You okay?"

Terra started. Warmth from the hand pushed the coldness away. She glanced around to find the walls were where they should be. Then her eyes landed on her Asui. "What?"

"You look a little pale," Asui said.

"You're not going to be sick, are you?" Uraraka asked.

"No, it's not…" Terra shook her head. Her heartbeat started to settle at the thought of her best friend and uncle. Todoroki and All Might were here. Nothing bad was going to happen. "It's nothing. I guess it completely hit me just now that this event is going to be broadcast for the whole public to see. I'm more nervous than I thought I would be."

"Try and relax." Yaoyorozu walked over. "Use your soothing music if you need it. There's no rules against listening to music during this event."

Terra glanced at Birdie, her mechanical companion that was always by her side. If only her best friend and All Might could be right now. They were what really kept her stable and grounded.

"It's time. We should go," Hagakure said.

"You ready?" Uraraka asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Terra closed her locker and followed the girls out. Her hands shook as she walked behind the girls. Pulling out an ear bud from Birdie she turned on her music to soothe herself. Her eyes darted all over the hallway. Other students from opposing schools were also making their way to the arena. She eyed as many as possible in an attempt to gather as much information on them as she could, but there were too many. They weaved in and out of each other. Their words mixed together into a jumbled mess. The coldness seeped back into her core. Again she thought about how this was a bad idea. Again she thought about running. And again a warm hand stopped her. This hand took hers and gave it a squeeze.

"You're going to be fine," Todoroki said. "All Might's here. As are several other heroes, including my old man. Nothing bad is going to happen. And don't forget that I'm here too. If anyone wants to hurt you then they'll have to get through me first."

"I know. I'm trying to relax. Thanks, Sho-chan."

"Stay close to me."

Terra nodded. She was going to do just that. Well, as long as the events permitted it. Since the individual events were different every year she had no idea how much time they would be spending together in close proximity.

Ojiro stepped up beside Terra. "You look nervous."

"Try terrified." Terra managed a weak smile for her friend as her heart did its best to beat out of her chest.

"Relax. You're going to be great." Ojiro squeezed her shoulder.

"I just hope to get through this in one piece," Terra said. "I'll probably be fine once this gets started. Uh, good luck."

"Luck to you too." Ojiro nodded.

_"Yeow! Hello all you wonderful men and women! This year's high school rodeo of rising young heroes that you all love, the UA sports festival is about to begin! Everybody, are__you ready?!"_ Present Mic's voice boomed out over the stadium and into the entrance way where they all were waiting. Cheers of excitement followed his words. _"It's time for the first years to make their entrance!"_

Terra squinted into the light as they left the shadows of the hall. Cheers rose up from the crowds, almost drowning out her hammering heart. She glanced up at the stands, hoping to see All Might in the crowd, but there were so many people she had no idea where he would be sitting. She should have asked him when she had the chance. Surely the faculty of UA had predetermined seats.

They came to a stop at a platform.

_"Welcome, one and all, to the UA sports festival! The huge battle where fledgling heroes sharpen their swords once a year!"_ Present Mic shouted. _"And these youngsters before you are those rising heroes! The miraculous new stars that have overcome enemy attacks with their hearts of steel! Hero course, Class 1-A!"_

The crowd roared again.

"Wow! There are so many people watching us! I feel nervous having so many eyes on me!" Hagakure's hips swung back and forth.

"Man, Present Mic sure is going overboard with that introduction. He's practically putting an even bigger target on our backs. I'm starting to get a little nervous too," Kirishima said. "What about you, Bakugo?"

"Naw. I'm just getting more into it!" Bakugo grinned.

Terra pushed up on her toes to see the two boys at the front of their class. Both, despite Kirishima's words, were relaxed. She wondered if Bakugo got nervous at all. With how assertive he is she figured not.

They waited for the other classes to get introduced and to enter. As Present Mic called their class they came in. Class 1-B was next. They were followed by the general studies classes, support course classes, and the business course classes. They stood with Class 1-A and waited for it all to start.

Terra turned her attention to the stage when a woman wearing a body tight suit and angled red glasses and long dark hair appeared there. She lifted her arm and flicked a flogger-styled whip into the air.

"Now is the time for the player pledge!" the woman announced.

"Wh-what?! That's the R-Rated Hero: Midnight! What is she doing here? Is she a teacher too?" Midoriya gasped.

Terra tilted her head as she swept over her fellow first years and found that the majority of the males were blushing with Mineta being the only one staring boldly at the woman with gritted teeth with a thumb up from both hands.

"Presenting the students is Katsuki Bakugo from Class 1-A!" Midnight held out her hand.

Bakugo stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled up to the stage with his always-present scowl. He got to the microphone and paused for a second. He then opened his mouth and said, "I just wanted to say that I'm going to with this event."

The other classes booed and glared at his bold announcement.

"Well, at least he knows what he wants." Terra noted the hostile looks from other classes as they glared at the blonde boy. She leaned into Todoroki. "Though I think he's made a lot of enemies just now."

Todoroki grunted, disinterested.

"Why are you doing something so disgraceful?!" Tenya said with his hand furiously chopping the air.

Bakugo left the platform and joined his class.

"Now then, let's get started right away!" Midnight said as she lifted the microphone from its stand. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier round. Every year, many drink their tears of failure here! Now, here is the fateful first game." A screen lit up behind her. Little card like sections were on the screen before they started spinning like a slot machine. "This year qualifying round is…" The slots stopped moving. "An obstacle course race!" The screen shifted to show the stadium. A line appeared where the students were standing and traced the outline of the course as Midnight explained. "The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium, which is about four kilometers!" Her eyes narrowed behind her glasses and she licked her lips. "Our school's main selling point is freedom. So as long as you stay on the course, it doesn't matter what you do! Yes, that means you can use your quirks or gadgets to help you win this round. Now, take your places everyone and stand by in front of the red gate! That is the starting line!"

The students turned to a red gate with three lights on top.

"An obstacle course should be easy enough." Terra glanced at the other students. "Well, if we knew what the other students quirks were."

"Stay close to me," Todoroki said. "I can help you if you need it."

"I will." Terra turned her attention back to the gate. One of the lights had lit up. She rolled her shoulders then stood ready to race. The second light turned green. Terra flexed her hands. The third light lit up.

A blaring horn followed Midnight's voice. "Go!"

Thundering feet filled the air as the students bolted in a mass group. The problem was obvious, Terra noted, her eyes locked on the passage in front of them. There were more people than space in this tunnel. If they weren't careful they would get jammed in with everyone. Her eyes drifted to the ceiling near the exit. She snapped out a vine from her hand, embedding it in the stone. With her other hand she offered a vine to Todoroki. When his hand closed around her vine she pulled them up and swung them to the front of the herd.

"Hey!" someone cried out. "That's not fair!"

"That has to be against the rules!" another said.

"Midnight already told us the rules." Ojiro's voice floated above the thundering feet. "She said nothing about not helping each other. It's fair."

Terra wondered if she should have helped Ojiro too. But the thought vanished when she saw him leap above the rest. He smirked at her. _He must have used his tail to get ahead of everyone else. Smart move._ A wave of cold made her shiver. Ice shimmered in her peripheral vision before it spread out behind them. They landed in front of the ice path Todoroki had made. "Not bad."

"_And we're off to a great start despite the pile up inside of the tunnel!"_ Present Mic's voice boomed from somewhere above them. _"With Todoroki and Tanaka taking an early lead with the help of Tanaka's plant quirk! But the rest of Class 1-A hot on their heels despite Todoroki's icy attack! How cool!"_

"Like I'd let you two get away that easily!" Bakugo shouted.

Terra glanced back over her should to find the explosion boy sailing at them with rapid blasts from his hands. Behind him several of their classmates were easily maneuvering through the ice trap with their quirks. A few others from the other courses were also making their way across the ice easier than she had expected. "Seems like more were prepared for that."

"I expected our classmates, but not the others," Todoroki said. "This might be harder than expected."

Terra nodded.

Suddenly giant green robots appeared in front of them, casting dark shadows over those in front of the race.

Terra's body moved to skid to a stop.

"Keep running!" Todoroki said as if he sensed her intention.

"Right!" Terra held up her hand and curled her fingers towards her palm. Vines sprouted out from the ground. They shot up and wrapped around the robots' arms, holding them in place.

Ice crackled and spread up the robots' legs. "Careful now. I froze those things off balance on purpose."

The ice snapped. Metal groaned as the robots fell to the ground.

Terra and Todoroki continued to run then came to an abrupt stop at the face of a canyon. Terra peered over the edge. "How in the world did they do this so quickly?"

"Doesn't matter." Todoroki shot out an ice bridge for them despite ropes leading from one rock mass to the next. "Let's go."

Terra followed him across the ice bridge, keeping her fingers as vines in case they were needed. When they got a fourth of the way across Todoroki collapsed the part of the bridge they had already passed so no one else could use it.

Reaching the other side they jumped to the ground and ran.

Terra pulled a water bottle from her belt and took a gulp before holding it out for Todoroki. When he shook his head she placed the bottle back in its holder.

"Hold it!" Todoroki's arm shot out in front of Terra, stopping her short.

"What?" Terra looked ahead to a dirt path. In several places it was obvious the dirt had been disturbed. That's when she noticed the sign to her right. They had reached a minefield.

"_Yes, people. You are not seeing things. Those are mines planted in the ground,"_ Present Mic said. _"Todoroki and Tanaka, who have been in the lead, have reached the final barrier of the obstacle course! It's set up so that you can tell where the mines are if you look carefully! So you have to look carefully if you don't want to go boom! But don't worry. Those things won't actually kill you. They were designed only to slow people down!"_

"Geez. Kill or not this seems a bit too far." Terra blinked. "All well. Allow me to get us through this one." With a wave of her hand several thick vines rose up from between the mines. The vines curled into footpaths for them to use.

"Good job." Todoroki smiled.

"What's that for?" Terra asked.

"Nothing. Let's go." Todoroki jumped out onto the first vine.

Terra huffed. It wasn't normal for Todoroki to smile. Still she had no idea why he would smile at this point in time. She didn't do anything funny.

"Hurry up. They're closing in," Todoroki called. "And don't forget to put the vines back underground. You're not allowed to help anyone else during this event."

"Fine." Terra followed with ease and returned the vines back to the ground as he had suggested.

"_Amazing!" _Present Mic said. _"Without trouble Tanaka is easily helping herself and Todoroki across the minefield with creative use of her vines!"_

Terra groaned and almost slapped herself. "So that's it. You're smiling because I'm using my quirk more than I wanted."

Todoroki's grin reappeared.

Terra growled. Despite her desire to not get noticed during this event it was happening anyway.

"_Now Iida has arrived at the minefield as well."_ A pause. _"And what's this? Bakugo has arrived and those four are neck in neck, fighting for the top! Rejoice, mass media! This is the heated competition you've all been waiting for!"_

"Out of my way, Icy Hot!" Bakugo growled and began exchange attacks with Todoroki.

Terra held her back from attacking. It was painfully obvious that she had nothing to counter Bakugo's blasts.

A boom came from behind them. Terra, Todoroki, and Bakugo looked back to see what was happening. In the bight light was a dark spot that grew larger and larger. Then Terra noticed it was Midoriya. The green haired boy was soaring through the air clutching a piece of armored plating of one of the robots. _Was he the cause of that blast? What was he thinking?! Sure Present Mic said those mines weren't harmful… but surely they would be if you piled a lot together._

_"Class 1-A's Midoriya is in hot pursuit with that blast!"_ Present Mic shouted. _"Actually, he's taken the lead! What an unexpected development this is! The three formerly at the lead who had been fighting each other are now chasing Midoriya! Now that they've had a common enemy, their fight is over! Midoriya swiftly blocks those behind him! Would you believe it? He cleared the minefield in an instant! Eraser Head, your class is amazing! What are you teaching them?!"_

_"I didn't do anything,"_ came the calm voice of their homeroom teacher. _"They're fired up on their own."_

"There's the end!" Terra said when she spotted the path that led them back into the arena.

Midoriya managed to hold onto first place as they crossed back into the arena.

Terra came in fourth behind Bakugo and Todoroki. She came to a stop and placed her hands on her knees, gasping for air.

_"They're finishing one after another!"_ Present Mic shouted. _"We'll make a list of the results later, but for now, good work!"_

Terra reclaimed her water bottle. The water chilled her throat as it slid down. "At least that parts over with." She wiped sweat from her forehead and passed Todoroki her water bottle. "I wonder what else they have in store for us."


	13. Cavalry Battle

Cavalry Battle

"Let me fill your bottles before the next event." Todoroki held out his hand.

Terra opened one.

Todoroki form ice over the opening then heated it. Ice chunks plopped into it.

Terra closed it and opened the other.

"Okay! We're ready to discuss the next event and the points everyone gathered from completing the obstacle course." Midnight drew their attention. "Those who reach the top will continue to encounter fresh new hardships. And the kids who have enrolled here will here it countless times: _Plus Ultra_. To the boy who placed first in the preliminaries go ten million points."

Everyone turned to Midoriya with determined glares to take him down.

Terra tapped her toes on the ground, wondering what kind of even required such a high amount of points.

"This next even will be a cavalry battle. The time limit is fifteen minutes. The point value of each groups' headband is worth the total point accumulation of each of the warhorse's members. And the one to wear the headband will be the warhorse's rider! Think of him or her as a standard-bearer." Midnight pointed her whip up to the jumbo screen where a demonstration of the event was being shown.

"That's a cavalry battle? And we have to do it?" Terra pressed her shoulder against Todoroki's.

"You'd make a good rider." Todoroki crossed his arms. "You'd easily be able to snatch someone's headband."

Terra studied her friend. His eyes revealed what she already knew. He was going to pick her to be on his team. And he would put her in the place of the rider while he stood in front of her. That way if she got uncomfortable she would be able to focus on him and remain calm. Who he'd pick for their other teammates… she had a pretty good idea. However, it's not what she wanted.

"Until time is up, you'll all be fighting and stealing as many of each others headbands as you can. You may not equip your headband on any area besides above your neck. As more and more headbands are taken, maintaining control of the situation will become more and more demanding. And the most important aspect of our human cavalry game is that even if you should lose your headband or crumble as a horse configuration you're still not out of the game."

"So that means…" Yaoyorozu said.

"That, with forty two contestants, around ten to twelve horses will be on the field the entire time?" Sato finished.

"Tiresome," Aoyama said.

"In other words, there's no need to get antsy if your group's headband is taken in the beginning, right?" Ashido said. "You'd still have time to get it back or get another group's headband."

"But if you don't have your eyes on the breakup of the points that everyone's gaining and losing, you won't be able to judge properly, Mina," Asui said. "It's going to be chaotic with everyone running around trying to steal as many points as they can."

"Quirks are of course allowed, so I want to see some fine brutality out there! That being said this is still a human cavalry battle game. If you attack any other group with the malicious aim of breaking them up, I will give you a red card and you'll be forced to sit out the rest of the game. All right, you now have fifteen minutes to form your teams," Midnight concluded.

Terra turned to Todoroki the second the pro hero went quiet. Todoroki's lips were already parting when she cut him off. "Sho-chan, I don't want you to pick me for your team."

"What?" Concern flickered in his eyes.

"You have a goal to meet." Terra looked at Midoriya. He was in deep thought, probably thinking of whom he wanted on his team. She brought her eyes back to Todoroki. "I won't be much help against his quirk, if he uses it. We both know that your dad is watching." Both turned to the crowds. Endeavor was easily spotted with his flames billowing around his shoulders. Terra shivered and turned away from the imposing man. "Do what you have to do to win this. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

Todoroki stared into her eyes for several minutes before the tension released from his body, the concern remained. "Okay. But get with someone you'll be comfortable with."

Terra nodded. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze before separating from him. _Well, let's see._ She scanned the students. Most of her class was already divided into groups. She assumed it was the same with others students.

"Terra."

Terra turned to find Asui. "Hey, Tsu. What's up?"

"You're not pairing up with Todoroki?" Asui pressed her finger to her chin. "I thought you two would be locked at the hips through this whole thing."

"I told him to chose who he knew would be best for this event. He has a goal he needs to meet." Terra scratched her arm. "I don't want to get in the way of that."

"Ribbit." Asui nodded. "Then would you like to pair up with me? I don't have any partners yet. And I think we'd be a good team. We can reach out farther with our quirks than most others can."

"Sure. Well, I should warn you that I've never done a human cavalry battle before. So I might not be that good at it." Terra rubbed her neck.

"I might be able to help with that. If you are willing to partner with us."

The girls turned to find Shoji and Mineta walking over to them.

"Ribbit." Asui tilted her head.

"I've got the best plan." Mineta cupped his mouth as he spoke to them. "We're all small enough to ride on Shoji's back. He'll put his arms up around us so no one can see us."

"Is that even allowed?" Asui asked.

"It should be fine," Mineta said. "We are allowed to use our quirks after all. And the rules say nothing about having to have only one rider."

"I see." Asui nodded then looked at Terra. "You up for it?"

Terra stared at Shoji and Mineta for a moment. She hadn't really spent time with them, but she had observed them a lot while in classes. She nodded. "Okay. Let's give it a try."

"Yes! With you two with us this should be easy." Mineta balled his fists and nodded. "I'll trap as many people with my quirk as possible while you two snap out your tongue and vines to grab headbands. Let's head for Midoriya first. We'll have the best chance of getting his headband while he's so distracted with everyone else."

"I'm not sure of that," Asui said. "But we can try it. If it doesn't work out we can go after other headbands.

"Also, you won't have much visibility while my arms are wrapped around you," Shoji said. "So you'll have to move fast if you want to grab a headband."

"Are you sure you'll be able to carry us all?" Terra asked.

"Yes." Shoji nodded. "Both you and Tsu look to weight about the same. And Mineta weights way less that you two put together. So it'll be like carrying only two people."

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm so small!" Tears poured out Mineta's eyes.

"Let's try to do this as discretely as possible," Asui said. "The less people see us climbing onto Shoji's back the better we'll have it."

"Times about up." Shoji looked up at the jumbo screen. Only a minute and a half remained. "Let's wait to join together at fifteen seconds."

The three nodded.

Terra took a moment to scan the field. Her eyes landed on Todoroki. As she figured he was paired up with Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Kaminari. Iida was a fast running to having him in front was a killer idea. Yaoyorozu could create anything they needed in the battle. And Kaminari could use this electricity to keep others from getting too close to them. She smiled. "Good job, Sho-chan."

"Okay. This is it." Mineta rubbed his hands together.

Shoji knelt down and opened his arms. Mineta was the first to climb onto his back. Asui was second.

Terra hesitated, hoping she made the right choice by doing this, then climbed on. "You okay, Shoji?"  
"Yeah." Shoji stood up with ease. "Let's do this."

The buzzer sounded. Midnight threw out her whip. "And begin!"

Teams lunged out onto the field.

Terra formed her fingers into vines though she didn't strike out at anything. _Okay, keep calm. Study the situation before you try and strike._ She eyed their openings. The opening in the front was wider than in the back. But it still didn't give them much to work with. This was going to be a lot harder than she first thought.

"_Have a look, ladies and gentlemen, not even two minutes have elapsed and already we have a melee of tumultuous proportions on our hands!"_ Present Mic said. _"Anywhere you rest your eyes, there's two teams vying for and stealing each others headbands! After all, it's a fine strategy to aim for second to forth place instead of the big ten million!"_

Terra pushed down her desire to poke her head out of Shoji's arms. She wanted to know who was going after whom. Surely Todoroki and his group were in those Present Mic was talking about.

Mineta laughed. "Stealing each others headbands? You think this is some kind of headband exchange? No, I assure you this will be a one sided plundering!"

Terra looked at their front opening. Midoriya and his group were in front of them. He was with Uraraka, which didn't surprise her at all. Midoriya was often with her and Iida. Tokoyami was their front person. His Dark Shadow was out, moving all over the place. The forth person on their team Terra didn't know. The girl wore gear on her body so Terra assumed she was from the support class.

"Shoji? But why are you all alone? This is a human cavalry battle, remember?" Midoriya looked their way. "Let's put some distance between us! In a field with multiple enemies, it's never a good idea to remain idle anyway."

Mineta threw out a ball. It landed perfectly. Uraraka's boot landed right on top of it.

"What? Mineta's ball? But where is he?"

Mineta waved at them. "We're right here, Midoriya."

"Huh?! Is that even allowed?!" Midoriya asked.

"_Judges say yes!"_ Midnight said.

Terra shot out her vine at the same time Asui shot out her tongue.

"Dodge!" Midoriya commanded. A pack on his back, which Terra didn't notice before, flared up with jets. Uraraka's boot broke as they were shot into the air.

Both Terra and Asui's attempts slipped right past Midoriya as his team rose.

"I expected no less from you, Midoriya," Asui said.

"You can carry Asui, too?! Dang it, Shoji! How strong are you?!" Midoriya's eyes widened.

"I told you to call me Tsu!"

"_Team Mineta has made good use of the startling differences in its members' body types! They might as well be a war tank!" _Present Mic said. _"Team Midoriya can't help but run away!"_

"What now? Should we continue after Midoriya or go after someone else?" Terra asked. Before anyone could answer Present Mic spoke up again.

"_That's right, whether it's the boy in first place who's being chased or the rest of Class 1-A, now doing the chasing, this here's a veritable congregation of top dogs. Let's briefly confirm that by checking their current point values. Seven minutes have passed. So let's put their scores up on the big board for all to see!" _A few seconds pause. _"Wait just one dosh darn second! You mean Class 1-A aren't taking it by a mile? Well, apart from Midoriya of course. And holey moley! Bakugo, what happened?!"_

Terra caught a passing glimpse at the jumbo screen. "Bakugo's at zero points?! How is _that_ possible?!"

"Must be the quirk of another student that's causing him trouble. Ribbit."

"I'd hate to be on the receiving end of Bakugo's furry." Mineta shivered and rubbed his arms. "Never mind! Charge after Midoriya!"

Terra huffed. _We won't be able to get his headband. Not with Sho-chan so close. His team up is too good._ Looking out their back opening she spotted a team coming up behind them. She readied her vines and waited for them to get closer. Knitting her brow she wondered if they were coming after their headband or going after Midoriya's. As they started moving from her line of sight she knew they were going after Midoriya. So she slipped out her vine and missed. She stomped down a growl and refocused on the front opening in time to see Kaminari's electricity sparking in front of them. "Watch out!"

Terra pulled up vines from the ground and wrapped them around her team.

"Wow. That was way too close." Asui looked around. "Nice work, Terra. Thanks."

"Sorry. I almost missed that. I was trying to grab another headband but they got away."

"Whoa! That was way too close!" Mineta trembled. "Way too close! We would have been fried! Terra, you saved us from getting hit. Thank-"

A cold chill rushed over her skin. "No-Wait! Hold on!" Terra gathered Shoji's legs in her vines and lifted them into the air.

"What the heck?" Shoji looked down.

Mineta poked his head out of Shoji's arms. "What?! We could have been frozen!"

"How did you know that was coming?" Shoji glanced back at her.

"Sho-chan and I have known each other for about ten years now," Terra said. "We've sparred together a lot. I can sense when his ice attacks are coming."

"Good thing too. We could have been frozen in place like the others." Asui glanced down to the ground. Almost everyone was frozen from the feet to the ankles. "Ribbit. He really over did it this time."

"Far too many people managed to get past his ice in the first event," Terra said. "He was making sure that didn't happen again."

"Hold on," Asui said. "Mineta, where's your headband?"

"What?!" Mineta grasped at his head but the headband was no longer in place.

"_There's not even a minute left and team Todoroki snagged four, yes four headbands! And team Midoriya who knew nothing but how to flee has been stripped from first place! Ladies and gentlemen, do we have our top four teams?! And with those two headbands, team Bakugo has shot back up to third place! Even in this final stretch, the scoreboard's in a lively flux! Ah, to be young again!"_

Her teammates continued talking. But Terra didn't hear them. Her eyes locked onto the air over the ice wall Todoroki had put up. A thin sliver of gray blended in with the stone wall so she wasn't sure she saw it. _It can't be._ She rubbed her eyes then looked again. No, it was. Smoke was rising up over Todoroki. _Did… did Sho-chan use his fire? But why?_

"Terra. Hey, Terra."

Terra jolted out of her stare when a finger poked her.

"You okay?" Asui asked.

"Yeah… I'm…. Yeah. What did you want?"

"The event is over. You can lower us now." Asui pointed down.

"Oh. Right." Terra lowered them to the ground. Five feet off the ground she jumped from Shoji's back and ran for the ice wall. She flung out her vines and pulled herself over the top then slide down the wall. Her boots tapped the ground and she bolted towards her friend. Todoroki's eyes were locked onto his left hand. Her heart squeezed. He did use his fire. But why? "Sho-chan!"

Todoroki turned.

Terra jumped into his open arms. "Sho-chan, what happened?! I saw smoke." She pulled back and took a hold of his left hand. "You used it? Why?"  
"Midoriya." Todoroki glanced over sat the green haired boy. Midoriya was busy talking with his team so he didn't notice them looking at him. "It was because of him."

"What happened?" Terra asked but he didn't answer. He tightened his fingers around her hand and headed towards Midoriya.

"Midoriya." Todoroki paused. "Come with us. I want to talk to you."

"Huh? Um, okay." Midoriya looked at Todoroki then at Terra.

"Deku, you coming?" Uraraka called.

"Go on. I'll catch up with you later." Midoriya waved to his teammates before turning back to Terra and Todoroki. "Okay. What did you want?"

Todoroki turned and walked away from the area. While the rest of the students made their way to the exit their small group of three headed to another hallway.

Terra's hand remained linked with Todoroki's, even when the boy stopped at the end of the hall. From this spot they could hear the other students leave the arena for lunch. Questions paraded through her mind but she kept quiet.

Todoroki's eyes remained on the floor.

"You wanted to tell me something?" Midoriya asked. "What is it?" Silence. "Well, what is it? Do you want to tell me? If we dawdle the mess hall will probably get super crowded." More silence. "Uh…"

"You blindsided me. So much so that I broke my own promise."

Terra watched as Midoriya's dropped to Todoroki's left arm. She stepped closer to her best friend.

"Neither Iida nor Kaminari nor Yaoyorozu nor Tokoyami nor Uraraka ever felt it. Only I felt it in that moment." Todoroki lifted his eyes to Midoriya. "After all, I saw All Might's full power up close that day in the USJ."

"So… what… is it… you want to say?" Midoriya tensed, something that Terra noticed.

"I'm saying what I felt from you was the same thing. Something too similar." Todoroki released Terra and looked at his left palm before looking back at Midoriya. "You… are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

Midoriya's eyes bulged. "Y-you've got it all wrong," he stuttered, waving and pointing frantically in the air. "Well, of course that's exactly what a secret son would say. So I get it if you don't believe me, but I swear that's not it."

Terra narrowed her eyebrows. _What is the connection between him and Uncle Toshi?_

Midoriya took a deep breath. It appeared to calm him. "Actually… I'm going to ask you something. Why are you…? I mean… why me…"

"The way you said that. 'That's not it'. In other words, you have some connection to All Might that you can't talk about. I'm sure you know about my father. Endeavor. He's been the number two hero for a while now. If you're connected to the number one hero, then that means I need to win all the more. He made a name for himself during his hero career firing on all cylinders. But it was never enough to outpace a legend like All Might, who was an unmovable mite in his eyes. And because he knew he could never hack it by his own power he devised a plan."

"What are you talking about, Todoroki? What is it… you're telling me exactly?"

"Sho-chan?" Terra pinched his sleeve. Her heart hammered her ribs. Was he really going to tell Midoriya?

Todoroki patted her hand before he started speaking again. "You know about quirk marriages, right? After the phenomenon had started it came into the picture during the second and third generations. Choosing mates solely to enhance one's own quirk to be inherited down the line and forcing marriages for that purpose. It was a throwback to a bygone idea devoid of any logic. As a man of means and merit… my old man easily ingratiated himself to my mother's family. And took possession of her quirk. All he wanted was to slake his own thirst and raise a hero to rise above All Might. That's why he created me. But I will never, _never_ be a tool for that man."

"Sho-chan." Tears stung Terra's eyes. She forced them back. This wasn't the first time she's heard this story. And each time it hurt just as bad as the last.

Todoroki placed his hand on his face, over his scar. "In my memories, my mom is always crying. She told me that my left side is unbearable as she poured boiling water on my face." He paused before looking back at Midoriya. "The reason I'm aiming to beat you is a personal triumph. I won't use my old man's quirk. I'll become number one without needing to. This is my total disavowal of him." He walked through the opening of the hall.

Terra followed.

"If you can't tell my anything, that's fine. You keep being All Might's something or other. And I'll defeat you using only my right side. Sorry I took your time."

"I… I've just been the beneficiary of outside help, all this time." Midoriya's voice caused them to pause. "That was true earlier, too. I… The reason I'm standing here is because someone is always saving me. All Might… I want to be like him. And I need to become strong enough to accomplish that, and become number one. It may be a trifling motive compared to yours, but all the same, I can't lose. Not only for myself, but to pay back the people who've helped me along the way. So I'll take that declaration of war of yours and echo it. I'm going to beat you, too!"

No one said anything more as they went their separate ways.

Todoroki and Terra slipped into the mess hall. Voices mixed together in a loud mess of noise. But they didn't have to put up with it for long. They grabbed their meals and headed outside so they could be alone for a while. They sat down under a tree where no one should find them.

"That was… the first time since me that you've told anyone about that," Terra said after several minutes of silence passed.

"Midoriya." Todoroki looked up at the sky. "I never would have expected someone would have broken through my walls like he did. I really thought you'd be the only one I'd ever tell about that."

"He really had you on the run, didn't he?"

Todoroki nodded.

"There's something different about him from everyone else. And I don't mean because of whatever his connection is to All Might."

"I sensed that as well."

"What are you going to do?" Terra's eyes when to his left hand. "You'll have to fight him in the finals."

"I still plan on not using this fire quirk. I will win without it." Determination washed over Todoroki's face.

Terra licked her lips. She wasn't so sure about that. If Midoriya was able to get Todoroki to use, or almost use, his fire quirk once what's to keep him from doing it again? But then… was that a bad thing? Todoroki had two quirks. Shouldn't he be using them both? She didn't know. She felt as confused as Todoroki looked. Shifting closer to him she laid her head on his shoulder and told Birdie to play her soothing playlist. "Whatever happens… I'm here for you, Sho-chan."


	14. Todoroki vs Confusion

Todoroki vs. Confusion

Finishing up their meal they returned their dishes to the mess hall then headed back to the arena for the second part of the festival.

"Um, what are the girls from our class doing?" Terra pointed at their female classmates. They were dressed in cheerleading outfits and holding pom poms.

"I don't have a clue," Todoroki replied.

Midnight drew their attention. "All right, everyone! Compete your hearts out in these recreation games we have prepared for you all! And after that, it's the final event! From four teams, sixteen individuals have made it through! It's a tournament! We're pitting them against each other in one on one combat!"

In the midst of it all Ojiro lifted his hand. "I… I would like to withdrawal from the finals."

"Ojiro, why?" Everyone from Class 1-A turned to their classmate.

"You're not going to have many opportunities like this one to show off your abilities in front of the professional heroes," Midoriya said.

"My participation in the cavalry battle… I was in the top ranks in the last few seconds. And I don't know how I got there at all. I can't agree at all with that. Probably because of the quirk of that one guy." Ojiro looked down at the ground then over at the purple haired boy that graced their classroom that one day. "I know this is a rare opportunity… and to walk away would be stupid. However everyone here gave his or her best to get so far. I'll never be able to say the same."

"You don't need to think like that! There's no problem if you give your best until the end." Hagakure shook her pompoms. "Just win your matches."

Ojiro shook his head. "No, it's not like that. It's a question of dignity. I don't want to participate this way if I don't even know how I got here from the start. Besides, why are the girls wearing a cheerleading outfits?"

The girls cringed.

"I don't agree either. I want to pull out." Another student, short and chunky, spoke up. "It doesn't matter how strong I am… to let someone win without doing anything… Doesn't that go against the spirit of the sports festival?"

"What completely naive words. It turns me on!" Midnight said. "All right! You two are withdrawn!"

With no rule saying everyone had to participate in the recreation games, Terra and Todoroki head back into the hallway and to the outside of the arena. Settling into a shady area away from prying eyes they sat down together, listening to her soothing music until it was time to head back into the arena.

"You should head up to the seats now," Todoroki said as they reached the waiting rooms for the final event.

"Okay. Be careful out there."

"I will."

Terra slowly pulled away from him, keeping their hands connected for as long as she could before finally having to release him. She forced herself away from him and made her way to the stairs. Her footsteps were heavy underneath her. She wished she could stay with him through the final rounds.

"Hey, Terra."

Terra glanced over her shoulder to find Ojiro walking up behind her.

"I figured you'd already be with the others." He smiled.

"I was with Sho-chan." A pause. "Why aren't you already seated?"

"I had to speak to Midoriya about Shinso."

"Shinso?"

"The purple haired guy from before. He was able to control me with his quirk."

"He can control people?"

Ojiro nodded. "But you have to talk to him first. That's how it happened to me. I spoke to him and hings went blank. Next thing I knew I was awake and the cavalry battle was over."

"That's insane." They stepped out of the stairwell and headed down the curved walkway where the seats were. They found their assigned seating area and took their seats among their classmates. "I'm ready for this to be over. I'm glad I don't have to participate in the finals."

"You would have done fine." Ojiro smiled. "Shinso would never have defeated you since you don't talk much to people you don't know."

Terra hummed. "You might be right. Well, as long as he didn't insult Sho-chan. I don't know if I would have kept quiet for that."

"Hey, it's starting!" Hagakure said.

Terra settled in the best she could. While her eyes were on the cement stage her mind remained with Todoroki. She did her best to pay attention to Midoriya and Shinso's fight. And as Ojiro said, Shinso made quick work of his quirk. Midoriya was trapped in Shinso's control and walking towards the edge of the arena. Terra fiddled with her fingers as Midoriya suddenly stopped walking. Some how he managed to come back to his senses and charged at Shinso. Shinso didn't put up much of a fight. Midoriya won by throwing Shinso out of the ring. "Shinso's quirk is amazing. He'd be able to handle hostage situations with ease. With a quirk like that shouldn't he be in the hero course?"

"It's not surprising he's not," Ojiro said.

"How so?" Terra looked at him.

"During the entrance exams we were up against robots," Ojiro said. "The same one's we fought in the first event. A quirk like Shinso's is useless against machines."

"That would cause problems for a guy like Shinso."

The crowd and heroes' cheers rose up for Shinso even though he lost.

"_Sorry to keep your waiting, folks! But the next round starts now! He's turned in an excellent performance to make it this far, and yet, what's with that plain jane expression? Does it ever come off? Sero Hanta of the heroes department! Versus! You who stand at the top of the top! He who is way too strong! From the selfsame department of heroics. Shoto Todoroki!"_

"Oh no," Terra said, her eyes locked onto Todoroki.

"What is it?" Asui asked.

"Sho-chan's angry," Terra said.

"Huh? He is?" Asui shielded her eyes from the sun. "How can you tell from way up here?"

Terra bobbed her leg up and down and drummed her fingers on her thighs. _He must have run across his dad before entering the arena. That's the only thing that can get him this angry. Sho-chan…_

"And begin!"

Sero wrapped Todoroki up in his tape and swung him around in the air like a doll.

_Come on, Sho-chan. Don't take your anger out on him._ A chill rolled up Terra's skin. "It's coming."

"What's coming?" Ojiro asked.

A wave of cold swept over the arena as ice sprouted from Todoroki. Almost all of Sero's body was coated in ice.

"Sero…" Midnight said. "Be honest. Can you move?" There was pause before she continued, "Sero is unable to move! Todoroki advances!"

Todoroki walked up to Sero and placed his left hand on the boy's chest.

Terra sunk back in her chair. At least Todoroki's first fight was over. Only a few more rounds before he had to fight again. To keep from stressing over Todoroki and his dad she forced herself to focus on the battles in front of her, to gather more information on the people at UA.

Kaminari fought against another vine user. Unlike Terra this vine user's vine made up her hair. Terra didn't have to pay attention to this fight to know who'd win. She was easily able to defend against his electricity. So this vine girl would be too. And she was right.

Next were Iida and the girl that teamed up with Midoriya in the human cavalry battle. Her name was Hastume. And she was from the support class. But she didn't fight Iida. Instead she showed off her creations, or _babies_ as she called, them before willingly walking out of the arena, leaving Iida upset.

Then it was Kirishima and a guy named Tetsutetsu. With their quirks being of rock and iron their fight went on for several minutes as they threw punches back and forth until they both collapsed. Midnight announced they would have another fight of a different caliber when they woke up.

"Do you think Uraraka will be okay?" Terra asked as she and Bakugo walked out onto the battle arena. "Bakugo isn't the nicest guy around."

"True," Asui said. "But I doubt he'll go too far. He only has to knock her out of the ring or immobilize her. It's not like this a hero versus a villain."

The fight started. Uraraka rushed towards Bakugo.

Terra pulled her lip between her teeth. Bakugo shot of blasts each time Uraraka made a move to get closer to him. The aggressive boy was relentless. Time and time again he struck at Uraraka. So much so that some people in the crowd started yelling at Bakugo for being so harsh with a girl.

"Who do you think you are?! Going to hard against a frail little girl!"

"You should be ashamed!"

"He's just toying with her now! Call this fight off!"

"_Yeah. I've got to say that I agree. Ow, huh, you elbowed me. What are you-"_

Present Mic's voice was cut off before Aizawa spoke up.

"Who just said he's toying with her? Are you a pro? How many years? If you really believe this _girl_ is that frail then do us all a favor, go home and hang up your cape. Never mind, you should stay and keep watching the match until it's over. He clearly recognizes the strength of an opponent who's reached this far and is on guard as a result. It's because he's doing everything in his power to win that he's refusing to let his guard down or stay his hand."

Terra blocked out their words after that. _She's trying to get in close to Bakugo. Make sense since her quirk can't be used from a distance. But Bakugo's quirk is hard to get past. It's a shame she doesn't have something to use as ammo. Unless…_ Terra's eyes dropped to the arena. Several pieces had been broken off the floor, but Uraraka hasn't use any of them as weapons. She scanned the floor and between the columns of smoke. Pieces of cement mixed in with the dark smoke created from Bakugo's quirk. _Why isn't she using those to attack-_ Terra looked up. Those broken pieces were floating about the arena. All at once they went crashing down towards Bakugo. Bakugo lifted his hands. With a loud blast the meteor shower Uraraka created shattered.

Uraraka's body trembled. Even from so high up in the stands Terra could tell the battle was over. Uraraka had nothing left to fight with and she fell to the ground.

Midnight held out a hand to halt Bakugo as she knelt down to check on Uraraka. "Uraraka is unable to move. Bakugo advances to the next round!"

Terra exhaled. "Definitely glad I'm not in the finals. There's no way I could stand up to Bakugo like that. He'd shred my vines."

"Yeah." Asui nodded. "I wouldn't have much to give against him either."

"Same," Ojiro agreed.

…

"Hey, that was nearly as tough as your face is villain-y," Sero said when Bakugo joined them a few minutes later.

Terra's eyes went to him. He still wore a scowl on his face despite having won his fight.

"It was a weird match up, but you played an amazing little heel nonetheless, Bakugo," Asui said.

"Shut up, you morons!" Bakugo growled before plopping down in a seat.

"But dang, man, you're able to blast a fragile little girl without holding back," Kaminari said.

"Knowing me, I'd end up not going through with it despite myself." Kaminari crossed his arms.

"But you got beaten pretty easily," Asui said.

"Hey! Come on, Tsu!" Kaminari whined.

"That girl is anything but frail," Bakugo said.

Though Terra wasn't sure if anyone heard him. Everyone's attention had already go back to the next battle. Kirishima and Tetsutetsu had returned to the arena. Their rematch was an arm wrestling match. Like their previous match this one took time, though not as long as the first. Both boys were using their quirks to their fullest. But Kirishima won in the end.

Terra swallowed. Todoroki's match had finally arrived. He and Midoriya stood facing each other in the ring. Her eyes drifted off her best friend and landed on Endeavor. The elder Todoroki was standing where he was the first time she saw him. Worry swept into her mind like a tidal wave as her eyes made their way back to her best friend.

The fight began with Todoroki shooting out ice at Midoriya. Midoriya lifted a hand and flicked his finger at the ice.

Terra twitched. Her fingers drummed on her knees before slipping into something soft and smooth. The battle continued with Todoroki shooting ice at Midoriya and Midoriya would attack by flicking his finger.

Coldness washed over the stands with each attack.

"_He destroyed it! And again!"_ Present Mic's voice was a distant buzz in the back of her head. _"Todoroki is continuing his overwhelming offense! It looks like this ice will make for the finishing blow!"_

Then she saw it. Todoroki's moves were becoming slower from all the ice collecting on his body. "No… He's not using his fire to remove the ice from his body."

Then Midoriya landed a punch on Todoroki's stomach. Todoroki picked himself up and started at Midoriya.

The battle came to a pause.

Terra growled. The two boys were exchanging words. But being so high up she couldn't tell what they were saying. Then suddenly fire flared up from Todoroki's body. A gasp forced out of her mouth. "He used his fire!"

"Yes! Shoto!"

Terra jumped at the sound of Endeavor's voice booming out into the air. Everyone's eyes turned to the elder Todoroki as he descended down the stairs towards the arena.

"So you've finally accepted your fate! Good! Excellent! Now this is your true beginning!"

"_And Endeavor gives his son some words of encouragement? What a doting father,"_ Present Mic said but his tone proved he didn't believe them.

Quakes rolled through Terra's body. She knew all too well that Endeavor wasn't giving his son words of encouragement. She tightened her arms around the soft object she was holding.

"Terra?" Asui asked. "Are you okay? Terra?"

"I hate that man," Terra whispered.

"Terra." Asui tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?" Terra turned to Asui. The green haired girl pointed to the other side of Terra.

Terra turned and noticed the soft thing she was holding was Ojiro's tail. She released him. Heat rushed over her cheeks. "I am so sorry! I didn't mean to grab your tail! When did I grab your tail anyway?! I didn't mean to! I am so very sorry!"

"It's okay. You were clearly upset. Holding my tail seemed to calm you down." Ojiro flicked his tail over her lap. "Feel free to hold it any time you need."

"Um… okay? I guess." Terra turned her attention back to the arena, her hands going back to Ojiro's tail of their own accord.

Midoriya and Todoroki charge at each other, both ready to end this fight one way or another. Concrete rose up between the two but did nothing to stop the massive explosion of clashing quirks. Wind gushed up around the crowd.

Terra squinted into the wind in an attempt to see through the mess of smoke and concrete to find if her friend was okay. Her heart pounded like a drum, blocking out screams then Present Mic's words as the air cleared. Todoroki was standing, half his shirt missing. Terra didn't look for Midoriya. Her legs threw her from her chair and up the stairs. Reaching the stairwell she shot out a vine. It wrapped around the end of the handrail. Her feet barely touched the landing before she snapped out another vine to grab the end of the next handrail. She proceeded to jump down the stairs until she reached the ground floor. With her feet knowing where to go she found him in a few more seconds.

"Shoto!" Terra threw her arms around him.

"Terra." Todoroki's warm, strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"I was so-" Terra's heart skipped a beat. Behind Todoroki was his dad. She released Todoroki in a second and bowed to Endeavor, clasping her hands together to keep them from trembling. "Sir."

"Don't bow to him." Todoroki put his arm back around her waist and led her away from the pro hero.

The door clicked behind them.

"Sorry I worried you." Todoroki wrapped her in a hug once they were alone in the waiting room.

Terra relaxed in his hold, letting her cheek rest again his. "What happened out there? You used your quirk."

"It was Midoriya. Again. He broke through my walls."

"How?" Terra pulled back to look into his eyes.

"He said something you once said to me." Todoroki looked at his left hand. "He said this quirk is mine not my dad's."

"Are you okay with that?"  
Todoroki clenched his fist. "I don't know. My mind is very hazy right now."

Terra's eyes dropped to his bare shoulder. She traced her fingers over his skin before pressing her forehead against it. "You idiot. I know how you feel about your dad… but don't you ever let ice build up on your body again." Tears dripped from her eyes. "Never again. I don't care if Endeavor is watching you or not. Don't do it."

"Okay." Todoroki rubbed her back. "I promise, Ter-chan. I won't do that again."

They stayed like that for several minutes before breaking away from each other. Todoroki pulled out an extra shirt from a box and put it on. They left the waiting room hand in hand.

"I'm staying with you," Terra said as they walked down the hall. "I'll stay in the doorway while you fight."

Todoroki nodded while he led her out into the stands. They stood off to the side and watched the matches until it became his turn to fight again.

Terra stayed out of the way as she watched Todoroki fight against Iida. She leaned against the wall with a sigh while the battle went on, grateful that this one was less stressful than the one against Midoriya.

With a standing long jump Iida knocked Todoroki down then grabbed his leg and made a dash for the edge of the battle arena. Iida paused. Being on a lower level Terra couldn't tell what happened to make the young man paused but figured it was Todoroki's ice when it rose up on Iida's body.

They ended up back in the waiting room. Terra sat quietly with Todoroki as he tried to work through this confusion swirling around in his mind.

The quietness was abruptly interrupted when the door slammed against the wall. Bakugo stared into the room. "Hm? Huh?! What are you two doing here?! This is supposed to be mi- Wait a minute! This is waiting room two?!" He checked the room numbed for he walked farther into the room. Todoroki lowered his eyes to the table. "Whatever. I was the one who got the wrong room. And I want you to come at me with everything you have during our fight!" He slammed his hand on the table with a blast. "I'm talking to you, Icy Hot!"

"That's something Midoriya also yelled at me for," Todoroki said. "That guy… seems compelled to drag peoples' problems out of them and blow them right open. You were his childhood friend, right? Has Midoriya always been like that?"

"Do I look like I care about that nerd?" Bakugo kicked the table away. "I don't care what he said to you! Or about your problems at home! Or your feelings! None of that matters! Just come at me with everything you got!" He stalked towards the door with his hands in his pockets. "I'll make that runt bow before me when I'm at the top!"

"What was that about?" Terra asked after the door slammed closed.

"I don't know," Todoroki said.

A few minutes of silence passed before she asked, "Will you be okay in the final round?"

Todoroki nodded. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

"You don't sound convinced."

"I'm confused. That's all."

"Fine. But be careful. If you're this confused don't think about using your fire. Push it out of your mind and focus on your ice."

Todoroki placed his hand over hers and squeezed. "It'll be fine. One more fight and this will be over."

"I wish it was over right now."

"It will be soon."

…

Terra stood at the entrance way to the battle area. The final round had come. Todoroki and Bakugo were facing off against each other. The crowd's roars rolled over the stadium.

The fight began with Todoroki trapping Bakugo behind an ice structure. Eerie booms came from within the ice before Bakugo exploded from it. Bakugo launched himself over Todoroki and grabbed his shirt and threw him across the arena. Todoroki shot out ice and surfed it before landing.

Terra's eyes remained locked on Todoroki. His moves were slower than they should have been. He was hesitating. "He really is confused."

"Don't give up!" Midoriya's voice reached the ground floor.

Terra started to look up to him but paused when Todoroki flared up. But fire faded before it was used. With an explosion ice and cement flew through the air. As it cleared they all found Todoroki was out of the ring. She started to run towards the ring but paused. The fight wasn't over until Midnight made the call.

"Todoroki is out of bounce! Bakugo wins!" Midnight announced.

Terra bolted for the battle arena. She shot out her vines, pulling herself over the broken arena and ice blocks. Her shoes slipped on the ice a couple times before she managed to scramble up to Todoroki's side. She cupped his cheek. "Sho-chan? Sho-chan!"

"He'll be fine. He's only knocked out," Midnight said.

Terra looked at the older woman then at Bakugo who was passed out next to Todoroki. "What happened to him?"  
"I used my quirk on him," Midnight said. "He wasn't pleased with the results of the battle."

"Oh." Terra turned back to Todoroki. She exhaled. It was finally over. Well, the sports festival was. Todoroki still had some things to work out.


	15. Rest

Rest

Terra wrapped her vines around Todoroki and placed him on the stretcher the med-bots had brought out. Standing she stayed right by his side as the med-bots rolled him out of the battle arena and into Recovery Girl's office. She moved him onto the bed.

Recovery Girl stepped up to the bed and started examining him.

"Is he okay?"  
"He's fine. Just a bump on the head." Recovery Girl puckered and kissed the unconscious boy. "There that should do it. He should wake up any time now."

"Thank you." Terra's eyes remained on her friend. A minute later Todoroki opened his eyes. "Sho-chan."

"Terra." He sat up. "How long have I been out?"  
"Only a few minutes. You feeling okay?"  
"A little tire but fine." Todoroki rubbed his head.

Terra exhaled with relief. "Good. I'm so glad that you're okay. And that this festival is over."

"Well, you still have the award ceremony to get through," Recover Girl said from her desk. "At least that won't have anything to do with fighting. If you're feeling up to it you should get going. It's going to start soon."

Todoroki stood from the bed. "Thank you."

Recovery Girl nodded. "And congratulation on placing second in the festival."

The two teens left the room before having to separate again. Terra wasn't sure where Todoroki was heading since he placed second. All she knew was she had to go back out on the field for the ceremony without him.

"You feeling better now?" Asui asked upon her arrival.

"Yes." Terra nodded.

"Todoroki fine?" Ojiro asked.

"He is." Terra stood between the two. "Sorry I ran off like that before."

"Don't worry about it." Ojiro smiled. "You were worried about your friend."

_I still am_. Terra faced the platform as fireworks started going off above them. The finalists stood on three raised round platforms. Well, Bakugo was chained to his with a muzzle over his mouth. Terra cringed. "Well, he sure is angry."

Ojiro chuckled beside her.

"He's been like that since he woke up," Kirishima said.

"All right then, let's move on to the award ceremony!" Midnight said. "Third place is actually shared with between Tokoyami and Iida. But due to home life circumstances he was forced to leave early. Gotta love those familial bonds." She winked.

"Must you? Really?" Tokoyami asked from his third place spot.

"Time to give out the metals! And the one who'll present the medals this year is naturally none other than…" Midnight waved her hand upward.

The crowd cheers as All Might appeared at the top of the stadium. With a laugh he jumped and spun in the air before landing on the ground. "I am here with medals!"

"Our hero, All Might!" Midnight finished, completely out of sync with All Might. "Oops. Blew it, didn't I?"

Terra stood quietly as All Might presented the metals and spoke to the three finalists.

"And there you have it!" All Might said he managed to place the metal on Bakugo, well between the boy's teeth anyway. He turned to face everyone else. "This year, it's these three! However, take heed, folks. There was a possibility for everyone in this arena to stand here! It's just as you saw with your very own eyes, ladies and gentlemen! They competed and boosted each other up! Everyone climbing to ever higher, advancing even farther! The next generation of heroes will surely sprout from the seeds planted this day! And to that sentiment, I'll add one more thing!" He points to the sky. "Everybody say it with me! And…!"

"Plus Ultra!" the crowd screamed while All Might said, "Great work!"

"All Might! That was the perfect time to say Plus Ultra!" The crowd booed.

"Oh, yes, well… I thought everyone did such a good job," All Might said.

"Finally it's officially over," Terra said.

"Ribbit. Now all we have to do is go back to class for a while then we can go home," Asui said.

…

"Since you've all earned a rest tomorrow and the next day you have off," Aizawa said once everyone was back in their classroom wearing their school uniforms. "I'll organize all the nominations from the pros and present them after the break. Be sure to get in some rest, even if your heart will be pounding. You're dismissed."

The students chattered, but it wasn't with as much excitement as it normally was. Everyone was tired from the long day. Terra exited the classroom with Todoroki, waving goodbye to her friends as they left. "I'm so ready for a nap."

"You can have one when we get home," Todoroki said.

"There you two are," Tomoko said as the two teens stepped outside.

"Sorry. Mr. Aizawa had to speak to us before we could leave." Terra leaned against Toshinori. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."

"Yes, we can go. But, first of all, you should have participated in the recreational games." Tomoko crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"I'm sorry." Terra shrugged. "Things happened. I didn't feel like it. At least I made it through the bigger part."

"Well, there is that." Toshinori stared at Terra for a moment before patting her shoulder. "You did very well today. Better than I thought you would."

"It helped knowing you all were there." Terra looked at each one in turn. "So now that it's over may Sho-chan and I spend the night together?"

"Fine. You two can have your little sleep over when we get home," Tomoko said with a sigh.

"Thanks, Mom." Terra shifted away from the two adults. "Who's house you want to stay at tonight?"  
"Yours."

"Wanting to avoid your dad?"  
"That and I need time to think about something."

"You going to tell me what it is?"  
"In time. For now I need to think about it a little more."

Terra studied his eyes. It didn't take long before determining it was about Midoriya and his fire quirk. "Okay. Tell me when you're ready."

"I will." Todoroki nodded.

Terra held on to both Todoroki and Toshinori as they made their way to the train station. The crowds were already whispering about the sports festival. All were highly impressed with Todoroki's power. A few made comments about her and how she didn't seem to do much during the festival. She ignored them. They knew nothing about her.

Arriving at the train station, Toshinori saw them off before heading to his own home.

None of them went into the Todoroki's. They knew no one would be home at the moment so they headed to the underground house where the two teens showered before curling up on the couch to enjoy snacks and movies.

"Don't you two stay up too late now. I know you have two days off from school, but you still need your rest," Tomoko said from her doorway.

"We won't." Terra waved, not removing her eyes from the movie. She heard her mom huff before the door closed. Reaching out she grabbed a handful of popcorn. Resting the majority of it on her shirt she brought a couple pieces to her lips.

"I'm… I'm going to go see my mom tomorrow."

Terra's hand paused. Mouth open she shifted on Todoroki's chest and looked up at him.

"I'm a bit surprised myself." Todoroki plucked a popcorn from her shirt and slipped it into his mouth. "But I have to do it. I have to see her."

"But why? You haven't seen her in so long. Why now?"

"Because of what Midoriya did and said to me." Todoroki lifted his left hand. "There are things I need to get through and I can't do it without talking to her."

Terra lifted off him. The popcorn tumbled to the floor. Pulling her legs under her she faced him. Her eyes locked onto his scar.

"She didn't mean to do this. You know that."

Terra nodded. She had never met his mom before but he had shared stories about his mom when they were younger. Somewhere along the way he stopped mentioning her completely. "Do you…" She licked her lips. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"Not this time. I need to talk to her alone."

Terra nodded, unsure if she should be relieved he didn't want her to come or not.

"I do want you to meet her someday." Todoroki slipped his hand behind her head and brought her forehead to his. "I promise I will take you to see her."

Terra nodded again. It was all she could do. She never thought about meeting his mother one day.

Without another word the two settled back into watching their movies.

…

The egg shell crackled. The yellow goo plopped and sizzled. Moving caught her attention. She smiled at Todoroki's messy hair. "Good morning, sleepyhead. You're always up before I am. Guess yesterday really wore you out."

"Guess it did." Todoroki sat down at the table.

Terra scrapped the eggs onto their plates with the rest of their breakfast before joining him at the table. He was pouring them both orange juice.

"Thanks for breakfast," Todoroki said. "Sorry to have you do it yourself."

"Don't worry about it. I figured you'd leave as soon as you ate," Terra said.

Todoroki nodded.

...

After finishing breakfast they dressed and made their way up to the Todoroki household. Fuyumi was waiting for them when they passed the living room. "I was wondering when you two would show up." She paused then added, "What's going on? You going somewhere, Shoto?"

"Please, don't be mad, Fuyumi." Pressing her hands together, Terra pleaded with her eyes and voice. "And don't tell your dad about this."

"I'm going to the hospital to see Mom." Todoroki pulled on his shoes.

"Huh? The… the hospital?" Fuyumi said. "Why are you going there after all these years? Are you sure it's okay if you don't tell Dad, Shoto?"

Todoroki opened the door. "I'll be back later." He shot Terra one more look before closing the door.

"Are you upset?" Terra turned to Fuyumi.

"No." Fuyumi sighed and crossed her arms. "I'm not upset. I'm more surprised than anything. Why does he want to see her? After all these years?"  
"Well…" Terra glanced at the door before looking back at her. The reason Todoroki was going was still fresh in his mind. But since he didn't mention it to his sister she knew he didn't want anyone else to know. Still she felt like she had to say something. "A lot happened at the sports festival. It's made him rethink some of his decisions that he's made."

"Concerning his fire quirk?"  
"Yeah." Terra nodded and looked back at the door.

"You're worried about him." Fuyumi put her arm around Terra's shoulders. "I guess a lot did happen yesterday. Well, I won't ask for a full explanation. Come on. Let's make some cookies. That will take your mind off him for a while."

"You want to make cookies?" Terra allowed the older woman to move her into the kitchen.

"Yeah. I want to make some for my students and coworkers." Fuyumi moved around the kitchen, gathering supplies needed.

A couple hours later Terra was sitting in front of the TV. The news was playing but it was nothing more than a buzz in her ears.

"I'm back."

"Sho-chan!" Terra jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. She then took his face in her hands and looked him over. "How did it go? Are you okay? Did anything go wrong?"

"Very thing went fine." Todoroki removed her hands and gave them a squeeze. "She was glad to see me." He smiled. "We had a good talk."

Terra exhaled. "I'm so glad. I was worried something would go wrong."

"Well, it didn't. You can stop worrying now. How about we go for a swim?"

Terra nodded. She followed him to the elevator.

"I told her about you."

Terra stiffened as the elevator door closed. "_Everything_ about me?"

"Would it bother you if I did?"

"No." Terra blinked. "I guess not. I mean you trust her. Right?"

Todoroki nodded. "She wants to meet you."

"What?! Really? Just like that?!" Terra stayed frozen in place when the elevator door opened. Todoroki reached back and pulled her out before the door closed.

"You don't have to freeze up. You'll like her."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Her heart pounded her chest. "What if I mention the water she poured on you? Or Endeavor? Or anything that might upset her?"

"You don't have to worry about that. She's a lot better now than when she was back then. We even spoke about the water and my dad."

"You did?"

Todoroki stopped walking and faced her. "I really do want you to meet her the next time I go. But if you don't feel like it I won't force you."

Terra breathed in and released it. "I... don't know. I do want to meet her. She's your mother after all."

"Take some time and think about it. For now let's swim. Get dressed."

"Huh?" Terra looked up to find Todoroki had led her right to her room. As she stepped inside he went into his own room, which was technically the guest room, to change. He was already waiting for her when she stepped back out.

They walked down the hall and into the pool room. Terra wasted no time in diving into the cool water. The remaining tense washed off her as the water brushed her skin. She popped back up to the surface. "Hey, Sho-chan?"  
"Hm?" Todoroki jumped into the water and resurfaced beside her.

"Have you thought about the internships that we'll have to do?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Just wondering. I know you're going to get a lot of offers. And your dad is going to be one of them. Who will you chose?"

Todoroki floated on his back. "I'm not sure. I have to admit that my old man is a good hero. You can't get to be number two without being good."

"Sounds like you're considering going to his agency."

"Maybe."

Terra sighed. "I don't like it. I don't want you to be anywhere near that man. But I know it's your choice where you go."

"Is that's what's bothering you?" Todoroki faced her.

"Sort of. I think it's more of not being able to see you." Terra crossed her arms over the edge of the pool and rested her chin on them. "A whole week without seeing each other. What if something goes wrong?"

"You're going to be fine." Todoroki swam over to her. "All you have to do is pick an agency with someone that can help you. You know who the heroes are. And you'll be able to call me and All Might. And we'll talk every single day. It'll be like we're not apart." He placed his hand on her head. "I promise. It'll be okay. Maybe All Might will talk to a hero agency and line something up for you."

"You might be right. He did set me up with Mr. Aizawa after all."

Todoroki smiled and nodded. "You'll be fine. Now stop worrying. We're suppose to be resting not stressing." He splashed water in her face then swam off.

"Hey! Come back here!"


	16. Names & Internships

Names & Internships

"So many people talked to me on the way to school!" Ashido wiggled and giggled. "They all recognized me from TV!"

"Yeah. Me too!" Kirishima said.

"People were staring at me too. It was kind of embarrassing," Hagakure said.

"Isn't that normal for you, Hagakure?" Ojiro smiled.

"You won't believe what some elementary schoolers said to me." Sero's shoulders slumped.

"Nice try," Asui offered from her desk.

Sero grabbed his head. "Ahhhhh!"

"UA really is amazing, huh?" Kaminari sighed with delight. "It's like we're super stars now."

With a sigh Terra crossed her arms over her desk and laid her head on them. "Everyone's still so excited about the sports festival."

The door opened and their teacher walked in, silencing the excited chatter. "Morning."

Terra perked up a bit upon noticing Aizawa wasn't covered in bandages anymore.

"Good morning!" the students greeted.

"Ribbit! Mr. Aizawa! Your bandages are gone," Asui called out. "I'm glad."

"Yeah." Aizawa brushed a hand over his now exposed face. "The old lady went overboard with her treatment. Anyway, we have a special hero informatics class to address. Today you're going to come up with your hero name."

"Hero names," Terra mumbled as most of the class released exclaims of excitement.

"This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day," Aizawa said. "The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation so don't think that if you have an offer that you can take it easy. You'll have to continually prove yourself until graduation. So here are the totals for those with offers," Aizawa said as he projected the results on the screen.

\- Todoroki - 4123 - Bakugo - 3556 - Tokoyami -360 - Iida - 293

\- Kaminari -272 - Yaoyorozu- 108 - Kirishima- 67 - Uraraka - 20 - Sero -14 - Tanaka -1

"Huh?!" Terra gasped at seeing her name on the board.

"That's great. You got scouted," Yaoyorozu said with a smile.

"But why?" Terra looked at her friend. " I didn't do anything."

Aizawa cleared his throat. The girls faced forward. "There's usually more of a spread, but, this year, all eyes were on the top two. And we had some irrational behavior from some of those who made it into the finals."

"Gah, there's such a big difference!" Kaminari sighed.

"Those pros don't know a good thing when they see one." Aoyama huffed.

"Y-you're amazing, Todoroki," Yaoyorozu said. "You've gotten the most offers."

"They're probably all because of my dad." Todoroki looked at his fingers, disinterested in the results.

"Bakugo would have gotten more if he weren't so scary." Kirishima pointed at the blonde boy.

"Huh? If the pros are scared of me then they're just weak!" Bakugo blasted back.

"Hey. Pay attention!" Aizawa drew their attention again. "Keeping these results in mind, whether or not anyone asked for you, you will all be participating in internships with pros. It will be meaningful training for you to see pros at work firsthand."

"So that explains the hero name," Sato said.

"So we'll be going by our hero names for the internships?" Terra asked. _I've never thought about a hero name before._

Aizawa nodded. "A hero name can define who you are. If you don't choose the correct one-"

"You will regret it later." Midnight strutted into the room. Her high heels clacked against the cold tile floor as she strutted up to the front of the class. "Because a lot of hero names used by students become recognized by society and they end up becoming professional hero names."

"Well, that's how it is," Aizawa said. "So Midnight will be approving your names. It's not something I particularly care you give yourself a name, you can get a more concrete image of what you want to be like in the future."

Small whiteboards and markers were passed down the rows. Terra took hers and placed it on her desk.

"Okay. When you guys are ready, you'll come up and present your names to the class," Midnight said.

"What?! We're presenting these today?" Kirishima shouted.

"Think of it as practice for your debut to the public!" Midnight said. "Introduce yourself anew to your class and leave a lasting impression with your name!"

Terra continued to stare at her blank whiteboard. One by one her classmates got up and gave them their names. Only two of them decided to use their real names while the rest picked names that suited them and their quirks. But what about her? She knew she didn't want to use her real name. She didn't even want a hero name, but knew she had to pick something to move on with class.

"Having trouble picking a name?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"Yeah." Terra nodded.

"How about Bloom?"

"Bloom?" Terra looked at the girl.

"It fits both your quirk and you." Yaoyorozu winked.

"You think Bloom fits me?" Terra pointed at herself.

"I do." Yaoyorozu nodded. "You might not see it yet but you're on the right track to bloom into a great hero."

"I'm not so sure about that." Terra shifted at the guilt settling in her chest. _I'm not on the road to becoming a hero at all. They're all working so hard. I really shouldn't be here._

"Bloom sounds fine to me. You should use it." Todoroki turned in his seat.

Terra locked eyes with him.

"Terra?" Midnight's voice drew her attention. "Have you decided yet?"

"Sure." Terra scribbled then suggested name down and slipped up front. Keeping her eyes down she held up her whiteboard. "Call me Bloom."

"That's perfect for you!" Kirishima said.

"I like it," Asui said.

Terra ducked her head. She really, _really_ shouldn't be here. She rushed back to her seat.

"Okay. Now that everyone's decided on their hero names, we'll go back to talking about the internships," Aizawa said as he passed out papers to those who got offers. "They will last for a week. As for where you'll have them, those who had offers from pros will be given your own lists. So you can choose from those yourself. Those who didn't can choose from among the forty agencies around the country that will be accepting our interns. They all have work in different places and have different specialties. Think carefully before you choose. You have two days to decide. Dismissed."

Terra stared at her paper. "Uwabami?"

"She's a hero who excels in rescuing people," Yaoyorozu said. "I got an offer from her too."

"Rescue. Why would she want me?" Terra blinked.

"You should have more confidence in yourself," Asui said.

"Yeah!" Uraraka nodded. "She must have seen something in you! You should go for it!"

"I don't know."

"Well, you have a few days to decide." Ojiro walked back to Terra's seat. "I think you should take up her offer as well."

Terra exhaled.

...

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Terra looked down at her suitcase holding her hero uniform. The sounds and energy from the subway fell dull against her ears.

"It'll be fun. We'll be there together." Yaoyorozu placed her hand on Terra's shoulder.

"That is a good thing." Terra smiled. She was glad that Yaoyorozu was going to be at the same agency as she was, but she'd preferred if it were Todoroki. Her smile faced and her eyes drifted to Todoroki. He had chosen to go to his dad's agency. She hated the idea. But he assured her he'd call her every day, at least once a day. It would have to do until they could reunited at the end of the week.

"Our train's here," Yaoyorozu said.

"Sho-chan."

Todoroki wrapped his arms around her. "You'll be fine. I'll call you as soon as I get to my dad's agency. Let me know when you arrive."

"I will." Terra hugged him back for a whole two minutes before releasing him. She forced herself onto the train and watched him until he made his way to his own train.

"Hey! Yaoyorozu! Terra!"

"Oh, Kendo!" Yaoyorozu waved to the orange haired girl. "What are you doing here?"  
"I'm heading to Uwabami's agency." Kendo sat down in front of Yaoyorozu.

"Really?! That's where we're heading."

"Amazing." Kendo smiled. "I can wait to get there."

"I can," Terra mumbled but not low enough.

"This is your first time being separated from Todoroki, isn't it?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"That obvious?" Terra pulled her eyes away from the window.

"You two are so close. It's not surprising you're having trouble being away from him."

"Yeah." Terra leaned back against her seat. "This isn't going to be a very easy week."

"I bet your mom had a hard time letting you go, too."

Terra cringed at the memory of her mom balling like a baby the night before and how she adjusted Birdie to record every detail of her life while she was gone. She scratched her cheek. "Yeah. You could say that."

"You're really that close to him? Wow. I knew you two were close but not that close," Kendo said.

Terra nodded and fell into silence as Yaoyorozu and Kendo continued to talk about their internship.

Almost two hours later the three girls were standing outside of a multistory building. It was smooth, clean, and stood out from the buildings around it with the snake decorations. Terra sent a quick text to Todoroki to let him know she had arrived.

"This is it." Yaoyorozu led the way in.

"Hello. How may I help you?" A lady at the front desk pulled their attention.

"We're the three interns from UA," Kendo said.

"Of course. Miss Uwabami is waiting for you." She waved to the elevator. "Please head up to the seventh floor."

"Thank you." The girls bowed and headed for the elevator.

Terra swallowed as the elevator stopped and opened to a common area.

Uwabami smiled. "I'm glad you three got here safely. I am Uwabami."

Terra's eyes locked onto the pro's snake hair. She wondered if they were going to bite if they got too close.

"Don't be afraid of my snakes. They won't hurt you." Uwabami smiled.

"Sorry." Terra gave her full attention back to the pro. "Uh, I'm Terra Tanaka."

"Momo Yaoyorozu."

"Itsuka Kendo."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. Are you wondering why I brought you three here?" Uwabami asked. "It's because you three are cute."

Terra cocked an eyebrow. _Because we're cute? Is she serious? Though that would explain why I'm here. Kendo and Yaoyorozu did more than I did in the sports festival._

"And you..." Uwabami stepped in front of Terra. "I especially wanted you to come because I'm going to help you shine."

"Shine?"

"That's right. I know you can do more than what you shown at the sports festival. I believe your introverted personality is what's holding you back." Uwabami flipped her hair. "And I have a plan to help with that."

_I'm already not liking this. I want to go home._ Terra hammered her feet to the floor and swallowed a whimper. She had to stay. Just seven days and it would be over. Just seven days.

"Come with me and I'll show you around." The girls followed the pro.

...

Terra slumped down on her temporary bed with a heavy sigh. Despite the fact their first day of the internship wasn't very exciting or informative she was exhausted. All Uwabami did was show them around the building, introduced them to others working in her agency, and explained that pros are allowed to have side jobs. She learned that Uwabami was a model and expected the three of them to preform with her in an up and coming commercial.

She got up and paced the floor, wanting to call Todoroki again. But she knew she couldn't. He had already gone to bed. And he needed his rest if he was going to face his dad this week. She could handle this on her own. She already knew he was fine. And she was fine. All was fine.

A knock came from the door.

"Yes?" Terra opened her door to find Yaoyorozu and Kendo standing there with their blankets and pillows. "What's up?"  
"We figured you might be lonely and decided to come sleep in your room with you," Kendo said.

"And from the look of the tears we made the right choice." Yaoyorozu brushed a tear from Terra's cheek.

"You did that for me?"

"Of course we did." The girls entered.

"The first night's always the hardest. Tomorrow night will be better." Kendo spread her blanket on the floor. "If you need us every night this week then we'll be happy to accompany you."

"That's nice of you." Terra closed her door. "Are you sure you want to sleep on the floor?"

"It's not a problem." Yaoyorozu took a spot beside Kendo.

Terra watched them for a moment before pulling her blanket off the bed and joining them. "It doesn't feel right having you two on the floor and me on the bed. So I'll join you. And thanks. I appreciate this."

The girls smiled and settled into their first night of their internship.

...

"Relax, Terra," Uwabami said. "Your movements need to be smooth, flowing like a river."

"I'm trying," Terra squeaked.

"Let's take a break." Uwabami stepped away from the cameras.

Terra wanted to as well, but her feet wouldn't listen to her. With her heart pounding in her head, her eyes remained locked on the multiple video cameras in front of her. Sweat trickled down her face.

"Come on." Yaoyorozu's voice was a muffled murmur in her ears. A hand landed on her shoulder, steering her away from the cameras. "There. Now you're safe from the big, bad cameras."

Terra dropped into a chair. The big curls that were put in her hair sat heavy on her shoulders.

"Have some water." Kendo held out one of Terra's water bottles.

Terra grabbed it and guzzled down half its contents. "Thanks."

"You really have some stage fright there." Kendo crossed her arms.

"Sorry. I've never done this before. I had no idea I would react like this." Terra's eyes drifted back to the cameras. She shivered and looked away. For some reason Uwabami wanted them in her hairspray commercial. She didn't even use hairspray. And had no idea why any woman would want to. It stiffened her hair and made her skin sticky.

"Well, it's okay." Yaoyorozu twisted one of curls the makeup artists put in all of their hair. "We're not really use to this either. I'm kind of disappointed, but I'm sure there's some important lessons in this."

"You're still in deny," Kendo muttered. "We'll be on patrol again tomorrow. Hang on a bit longer."

Terra nodded and leaned back in her chair while the two girls continued to talk to each other. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them again when she received a text from Todoroki.

_Just letting you know before you see the news. I'm okay. Only a few scraps. Iida and Midoriya are fine as well. We got into a bit of trouble today._

"Sho-chan's... with Midoriya and Iida?" Terra blinked at her phone screen. "I guess that explains Midoriya's text." Worry seeped into her mind despite the words on her screen. She wanted to call Todoroki right that second but couldn't. If he was able to talk he would have called her instead of sending a text. She'd have to wait until later that night to call him back.

"All right, girls." Uwabami clapped her hands. "Let's get working again."

Terra sat Birdie down and joined the girls. With a relaxing breath she did her best to force Todoroki from her mind and work on flowing like a river.


	17. Exams of all Kinds

Exams of all Kinds

"Sho-chan!" Terra dashed over to her friend and threw her arms around him. "Are you okay?! Are you in any pain?!" She pulled back, cupped his face, and examined him. "Tell me!"

"I'm fine. I only got minor injuries. I told you that." Todoroki pulled her hands off him.

"Tell me every detail." Terra knitted her eyebrows. "Every. Single. Thing."

"I will." Todoroki glanced around. "But not here. Let's get home first."

Terra nodded.

After the slow trek back home the two showered then settled in to Terra's room to talk. An icy chill washed over her body with each word he spoke. "You were... Hero Killer..."

"I'm all right." Todoroki placed his hand over hers. "You see me. Right?"

Terra nodded.

"Look at me, Ter-chan."

Terra forced her eyes to him.

"I'm only telling you this because it's you. I could never lie to you. I know you'd be able to figure it out eventually anyway. But you can't tell anyone. Only those involved know the truth. If the world found out the truth we could get into trouble."

"I understand. You know I won't say anything to anyone."

Todoroki nodded.

"I'm so glad you're all okay." Terra settled against his side. "Other than that, how was your internship?"  
"I managed to survive." Todoroki put his arm around her. "Despite the fact that my old man is a scum bag he can teach me a lot of things. And I did learn more on what it's like to be a hero."

"So over all it was good."

"You could say that. What about you?"

Terra groaned. "All we did was patrol and film a hairspray commercial."

"Hairspray commercial?"

"Uwabami is a model. Heroes can take side jobs. That was hers. She brought me, Yaoyorozu and Kendo to her agency because we're _cute_. And she wanted to help me _shine_."

Todoroki chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Terra lifted off him.

"That I'm going to enjoy seeing you in a commercial."

"Sho-chan! I hated it! And I look silly with such large curls in my hair!"

"Large curls? I'm definitely going to record it." Todoroki stood from the couch and walked away from her.

"You better not!" Terra followed him.

"I am!"

"Sho-chan!" Terra chased him around the house.

"Come on, future model." Todoroki ran around the couch. "You can do better than that."

Terra fumed. "You asked for it!" She shot out her vines, barely missing his arm. "Shoto!"

...

"Long time no see, boys and girls! How have you been?!" All Might bellowed with his hands on his hips as they stood in costume in front of a cement gate that held their current training grounds. "For this time's hero basic training, we'll have some fun with a rescue training race. Welcome to Field Gamma!"

The gate pulled open with a heavy clank. They walked into an industrial facility that was an elaborate labyrinth of pipelines, factories, and large cranes.

"Seriously. Where does UA get all the money for this stuff?" Jiro asked.

"This is a dense area filled with various factories." All Might followed them in. "You'll break up into three teams of five and one team of six. When I send out a distress signal from somewhere inside, you'll all start at once from the outskirts of the city. It's a race to see who will rescue me first! Of course..." He pointed his finger at Bakugo. "You will need to keep damage to your surroundings at a minimum."

"Why are you only pointing at me?" Bakugo growled.

Terra noticed some of their class wanted to answer, but didn't have time as All Might divided them into their groups. The first ones to go consisted of Midoriya, Iida, Ojiro, Sero, and Ashido. The class started talking about who would win this race.

"They're all pretty fast," Jiro said as she sat on the floor.

"Perhaps Midoriya is at a slight disadvantage," Yaoyorozu said. "And whenever he does something, he always gets badly injured."

"Who do you think will win? I think Sero will be first," Kirishima said.

"But Ojiro's there, too," Kaminari said. "I'm betting on him!"

"I think it'll be Ashido. She's really athletic!" Mineta shouted.

Terra studied the group. Sero definitely had the advantage in this round. With his tape he'd be able to fly through this course. Ojiro also had an advantage over the others with his tail. Iida had his speed but with so many obstacles he wouldn't be able to move very fast. To Terra Ashido and Midoriya had the biggest disadvantages in this test.

It wasn't surprising as Sero took the lead by flying through the air with his tape while Ojiro came at a close second, utilizing his tail to launch himself forward and cling to anything it could wrap around. Tenya and Ashido were following closely behind using their own quirks. Then a green flash of light flew past Sero and took the lead by a long shot. Midoriya jumped and kicked off the nearby platforms with ease and speed.

The class gasped at Midoriya's speed and control over his quirk.

"Amazing," Terra breathed. "He's so fast now. And he's got amazing control over his quirk. What did he do during his internship?"

Midoriya slipped on a pipe allowing Sero to rush ahead and win the round.

Now it was Terra's turn. She with her group at the front door of a large warehouse and waited for All Might to start the race. Given the word her group launched into the race. She snapped out her vines, grabbing on to railings and pipes. Bakugo blasted in front of her. Behind her Mineta used his balls to bounce from place to place. Aoyama used his navel laser to launch from platform to platform. And Yaoyorozu created multiple objects that helped her along.

Terra managed to come in third. It wasn't bad considering everything. She rejoined the others and finished watching the rest of the races before they headed back to UA.

Time passed at a steady pace throughout the semester. Final exams were racing upon them now. She and Todoroki spend their off time studying together while the rest of the class broke into groups or chose to study by themselves.

Finally the exam days had arrived. Terra quickly work through the written test. Studying was never a challenge for her. She had plenty of time to get good at it since she remained underground so much. However, the practical exam was another story.

"We're fighting the teachers?" Terra looked over all of the pro heroes standing before them.

Nezu popped out of Aizawa's scarf and began to explain things to them. Thanks to the attacks on UA the exams had to been changed.

"So much for fighting robots." Sero sighed.

"Yes, but it makes sense," Iida said. "There's really no challenge facing off again heartless machines."

Terra knew all too well that he was right. That had be proven in the sports festival. Even she, who didn't want to be a hero, was able to handle them just find. A growing hero can't grow if they fight such easy opponents who couldn't change their movements. But fighting the teachers? Pro Heroes?

The students concerns about going up again pro heroes were eased a bit when it was revealed that the pros would be wearing weights that limited them. Despite them it was still going to be a hard task to fight.

"Tanaka, Uraraka, and Aoyama will be up against Thirteen," Aizawa said.

"Really?" Terra asked.

"All right!" Uraraka cheered. "We're together, Terra!"

"Mangifique!" Aoyama posed.

"We have some time before our test. Shall we discuss it?" Uraraka asked.

"We better." Terra nodded. The three headed into the build with waiting rooms and the room where Recovery Girl would be monitoring the exam. Before they could find a place to talk Aoyama spotted a mirror and began to strike poses in front of it. "Well, he's gone."

"Guess we can't come up with a strategy." Uraraka huffed. "Guess it's for the best. I'm not sure how we can go up against Thirteen."

"I'm concerned about that too. Anything we throw at her she can suck right up."

"Let's go watch the others' exams. Maybe we can get a idea from them."

"Okay." Terra followed Uraraka down a hall. "But I'm not sure it will help. I don't think anyone in our class has a quirk that will do well against Thirteen's black hole. Our best bet would be to just make a break for the exit. But we still need to get past her black hole."

"That is going to be the toughest part of our exam."

A door whooshed open in front of them. They stood with Midoriya and watched the matches until it was their turn.

"Those matches were intense." Terra let her shoulders droop.

"Come on, you." Uraraka grabbed Aoyama's cape and pulled him away from the mirror.

"Is it our turn? Wonderful," Aoyama said.

"I don't suppose you came up with a way to win this fight while you were modeling for yourself?" Uraraka looked over her shoulder.

"No. I did not."

"You're useless."

"Maybe two of us could distract Thirteen while the third one goes for the gate?" Terra offered.

"That might be our best bet." Uraraka nodded. "We should give it a try."

"So who's going to go for the gate and who's going to distract Thirteen?" Terra asked.

"But first we need to see what our surrounds are going to be like." Aoyama finally stood and pointed at the building they were headed to. The building was dome shaped with multiple windows similar to the USJ.

"Right!" Uraraka nodded. "Let's get inside and see what we have to work with."

The three held their ground for a moment before heading inside. They stood at the front of the building, eyeing the little decor. A railing stretched out in front of them, which made no sense since there were no stairs near it. A few plants were located near the walls.

Terra huffed. "Not much to work with." Her eyes landed on the opposite side of the dome. Thirteen was standing in front of the gate they had to pass through. "Ideas?"

"I say you and Aoyama work as the distractions," Uraraka said. "You two can fight at long distances. Well, longer than I could."

"This is truth." Aoyama touched his chin. "I will be glad to give you my services."

"Are you three going to stand over there and talk all day?" Thirteen walked towards them. "I have an idea of how you are going to get by me. And I won't let that happen. Black Hole!"

Suction pulled at their hair and clothes. Their shoes slid across the floor.

"This is not good!" Uraraka said a second before their feet slipped.

Their bodies flew towards Thirteen.

"Grab the rail!" Terra snatched the railing.

Uraraka grabbed as she passed, but Aoyama's fingers slipped past it. "Aoyama!"

"I got you!" Terra snapped out a vine, wrapped it around his wrist and pulled him back to the railing.

"Merci, Terra. I own you one." Aoyama's skin was pale.

"There goes our plan. The heroes are too good for us," Terra said. Anything she threw at Thirteen now would be sucked up.

Uraraka gritted her teeth.

"What are you thinking about?" Aoyama asked. "Could it be Midoriya?"

Terra turned to find Uraraka's ears turning red.

"Could it be that you like him?" Aoyama asked.

Uraraka grabbed her cheeks.

"Hey!" Terra snapped out a vine but the girl slipped past her. Suddenly the suction stopped. She dropped to the floor with a thud. A victorious yell erupted from Uraraka. Thirteen had been captured. "We... won?"

"Indeed we did." Aoyama winked at her.

Terra pushed herself to her feet.

"Good job, all of you." Thirteen walked over to them with Uraraka.

"But we didn't do much," Terra said. "And you only stopped your attack because you didn't want to hurt Uraraka."

"You didn't run away. I could tell you all were weighting your options," Thirteen said. "And, if I'm not mistaken, two of your were going to distract me while one headed for the gate. It was a good plan. You all knew that your quirks weren't good at going up at me. Not reaction is also an option when it comes to being a hero. Don't forget that."

"Merci."

"Thanks."

Terra nodded.

Their group headed for the door. Terra returned with Uraraka to the control room so she could watch Todoroki's exam before reuniting with him afterwards. "Hey, Sho-chan?"  
"Hm?"

"I think I'm ready."

Todoroki glanced at her.

"To meet your mother."

...

Terra fiddled with her fingers. "It's okay. I'm fine. Nothing to worry about here. This is good. Right? Of course it is."

It had been a hard week with all the exams they had taken. And the shock that Aizawa had lied to them, again. Turned out that all of Class 1-A was going to the training camp. To celebrate the reveal the class decided to go shopping to get supplies they would need. She, however, decided to go with Todoroki to see his mother.

With each step they took her doubts became heavier and heavier.

"I'm going to say something stupid. I know it."

"You're going to be fine." Todoroki squeezed her shoulder.

Terra swallowed. They stepped through the opened gate of the hospital grounds, then the front door. She paused along side him as he spoke to the woman at the front desk.

"Come on." Todoroki took her hand and led her down the hall.

Terra tightened her hand on his. Her heart pounded her ribs, desperate to break out.

"This is it."

Terra looked up to see a door. Beside it was the name Rei Todoroki. Before she could protest going in, Todoroki opened the door and pulled her inside.

"Shoto." Rei smiled.

Terra froze, eyes wide. The woman before her looked like a female version of her beloved Shoto, minus red hair. "You look just like her. Well, minus the hair color. And the scar." She jolted. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have mentioned the scar. Ack! I did it again! I'm so sorry!" She bowed. "I really didn't mean to. Ignore it. If you can. I mean if you want too. I mean... Sorry! I don't know what I'm saying."

Rei laughed. "You're right, Shoto. She's adorable."

Heat flooded Terra's cheeks. She looked at the woman then at Todoroki. "You think I'm adorable?"

"Mom, this is Terra." Todoroki ignored her. "Terra this is my mom."

"N-nice to meet you." Terra bowed.

"Nice to meet you as well. Come it." Rei waved to two stools across from her bed.

Terra swallowed and walked over to the stools. She sat down, hands in her lap.

"Shoto's told me a lot about you." Rei bowed her head. "Thank you for being there for him."

"Uh... well, I really didn't do much." Terra rubbed her head. "He helped me more than I could ever help him."

Rei smiled. "I believe you two helped each other equally. I truly am grateful to you."

Terra relaxed. This woman was as gentle as her son was.


	18. Training Camp

Training Camp

"Oh." Terra stood in awe of the dirt creatures rampaging through the forest. Most of her classmates had already shot forward in defense. This was definitely not what she was expecting to happen during training camp. But it wasn't surprising that Aizawa put them in this situation.

After a quick stop, which some thought was a rest break, a few pro heroes known as the Wild Wild Pussycats appeared. One of them used her quirk to send them sailing over the road railing to the edge of the forest, which was their owned territory. They were to make their way through this forest and to the camp.

"That was close." Kirishima brushed sweat from his chin. "Thanks, Terra. That might have been bad if you didn't tell us there were plants inside of these things."

"Sure." Terra shrugged.

"We need to get going," Todoroki said.

Terra nodded. The class proceeded to make their way through the forest. More dirt monsters appeared. Terra snapped her vines and wrapped them around one flying. She planned to pull it down to the ground, but miscalculated its power. It lifted her into the air.

"Terra! I got you!" Kirishima grabbed her waist. It lifted them both. "Hey!"

"Sorry. I messed up." Terra glanced down at him.

"No worries. Can you get us to its back?"  
"I think so." Terra pulled her vines back into her hands. Once close enough Kirishima sunk his stone fingers into the creature's body and hauled them both onto its back.

He cracked his knuckles. "Now time to put this thing down!"

Terra braced herself as he swung his fist into the creature's neck. It crumbled under them. She wrapped her vine around his waist. "We're going back down on ice."

"What?!"

"Turn left like this." Terra positioned her body. "Lean into your right leg and keep sliding. I'll stabilize you."

"O-okay."

Ice formed under them. Terra landed, looking back to make sure Kirishima stayed on his feet. He wobbled. She tightened her hold on him, keeping him on his feet as they slid down Todoroki's ice. They jumped at the end.

"Wow. That was amazing!" Kirishima grinned.

"You were too reckless." Todoroki ran up to them.

"Sorry." Terra rubbed her head. "I won't do that again."

They continued through the forest. And continued. And continued. Several more dirt monsters appeared. They manged to take them down but after a few hours everyone was wearing down from so many fights and walking. Before they knew it shadows were engulfing the forest. Finally they found the camp.

"I think I'm going to die. I've never walked this much in my life." Terra crashed to the ground. Three hours. It took them three hours to finally reach the camp. Her legs throbbed with so much pain.

"What did you mean, _three hours_?" Kirishima panted as he fell to his knees. "I'm so hungry I could die!"

The brown haired woman said, "Sorry. I guess I calculated it on how long it would take us."

"You guys didn't have as hard a time beating my earth beasts as I thought you would! You guys are great, especially you four!" The blonde pointed her paw out at Tenya, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Bakugo before dancing around them and exclaiming how she was going to make them hers.

"All right. Get your gear unloaded and into your rooms. You'll eat after that then can bath and go to bed," Aizawa said.

"I don't think I can move," Terra said.

Todoroki held out his hand. "Come on."

With a whimper, Terra took his hand and forced her legs to move again. Grabbing her gear from the bus she torn into her bag, pulling out her first aid kit she downed four pills in a second. "I wish these were extremely fast acting."

"I don't think I can move." Uraraka leaned against the bus. "I'm so hungry."

"The sooner we get this done the sooner we can eat," Hagakure said.

The students pushed forward. Following the Pussy Cat's directions they made their way to their rooms then to the dinning hall. They dove onto the food like their lives depended on it. Terra ate the best she could. Her stomach rumbled in hunger but her body was so tried she could barely lift her arm. "So tired. I want to go to bed."

"You need to eat more," Todoroki said. "It'll help gain your strength back." He lowered his voice. "Considering you've lived the majority of your live underground you did very well today."

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I only want to go to bed," Terra grumbled.

Todoroki chuckled.

"Well, you can have that wish come true soon," Yaoyorozu said.

Terra glanced up to find the girls were gathered beside her.

"We're done eat and getting ready to head to the bath," Uraraka said.

"It's a hot spring. Ribbit. It's going to be so nice." Asui closed her eyes.

"Totally!" Hagakure and Ashido cheered.

"Sound good to me." Terra stood up and followed them. Much to her surprise all the girls removed their towels once in the bath. She kept hers on. Closing her eyes she leaned against the edge and let the hot water work its magic on her legs. A noise from above the wall prompt her to open her eyes. For a second she saw the young boy Kota before he disappeared to the other side. "What was that about?"

"Mineta was trying to peek over," Asui said.

"Sho-chan's not going to like that." Terra felt a chill in the air. "Yup. He's not happy. I think he just froze Mineta."

"Well, he deserved it," Yaoyorozu said.

Terra closed her eyes again and listened to the girls chatter until it was time to go to bed. Reaching their room she fell onto her futon and instantly fell asleep.

...

"You need to learn how to use the vines from your body and the vines from around you," Aizawa said. "This will give you a wider range of attacks."

Terra frowned.

"You got a problem with that?"  
"No, not really. It's just really hard. I don't think it's possible."

"You maybe right. But if you don't push yourself you will never know. Also I want you to think about a weapon."

"A weapon?" Terra blinked.

Aizawa nodded. "A plant quirk has a lot of weaknesses. For your own safety you need a completely different way of fighting. Something that will help you when going up against someone with a fire quirk."

"But we're suppose to find someone else who's quirk would work better than our own in a situation like that," Terra said.

"True. However, if you're facing off against a villain they're not going to give up the fight so easily. You'll need to be able to defend yourself until help arrives." Aizawa turned and walked away.

"Such a pain." With a sigh Terra turned to the forest around her. Crossing her feet under her she set to work. Using one hand she formed vines from her body while trying to control vines that were attached to the forest.

...

"I'm so tired." Terra slumped against Todoroki. "I have no idea trying to use my vines and others were so exhausting. Is it over yet?"

"Sorry. Not yet," Todoroki said.

Terra groaned and barely paid attention as the Pussy Cats explained the rules of their game they were about to play. Drawing lots the teens split into their groups.

"Looks like we're partners in this," Midoriya said.

"Guess so." Terra looked at the dark forest then at him. "Uh, do you get scared easily?"

"Not really. What about you?"  
Terra looked towards the dark forest again. "I'm not sure. I don't mind scary movies. But I've never done anything like this before. A test of courage? I guess they wanted us to have some fun while we were here." Screams came from the forest. "Though I really don't see how anyone could find this fun, excluding Tokoyami. He seems to like it. What does revelry in the dark even mean."

"Party in the dark? Whatever his meaning is he does seem to be enjoying himself." Midoriya smiled and nodded.

"I hope I can get through this." Terra yawned. "I feel like I can fall asleep on my feet." Pain shot through her back. A familiar string of tiny vines ran under her skin. "No... not again."

"Terra? What's-"

Chaos erupted. One of the Pussy Cats was lifted off the ground, pulled away from the group, and knocked out. Blood tinted her skin.

"Well, looks like I finally found you."

Terra's heart pounded. She wanted to turn to him but didn't. She didn't have to. She knew who it was, what he was doing.

"Terra?" Midoriya asked.

"Get away," Terra said.

"What?"

"Get away from me." Tears poured down her cheeks.

Thorn chuckled.

Adria walked into Terra's view. "You look good. Better than I have ever seen you. We've missed you, little sister."

"What? Who are you people?" Midoriya glanced around, from his classmates, to the heroes, and back to Terra. "What are you doing to Terra?!"

"I'm sorry, Midoriya," Terra said as her vines exploded from her body and the forest around her.

Thorn laughed. "Now this is more like it! It's been way too long, little sister! I really have missed you!"

"No," Terra pleaded, tears still pouring down her cheeks. "Stop. Don't do this. Leave them alone."

"Huh? Why? They're _heroes_. They can take care of themselves." Thorn patted her on her head. "It's like old times, huh?"

"Be careful, Thorn." Adria crossed her arms. "We're still in the presence of heroes."

"I couldn't care less. Look at them." Thorn nodded to the heroes and students. "They're panicking. Got to admit. I didn't think this was a good idea, but it worked out. I got my sweet little sister back."

Adria huffed. "We should get going before it's too late."

"B-Birdie." Terra's voice trembled. "Code Red. Activate."

Birdie blinked and chirped.

"Let her go!" Midoriya charged towards them.

"Oh, it's you." Thorn chuckled. "You're the kid who kept hurting himself at the sports festival."

Midoriya threw his punch at Thorn.

Thorn smirked as a dark mass wrapped around him.

Midoriya's punch went through the mass. "What the...?"

"Nice try. But you're no match for me."

Midoriya whipped around. "What? A warping quirk?"  
"Not quite, my dear." Adria ran a fingernail down Midoriya's cheek. "But you are close."

Midoriya snapped a kick at her, but she vanished in a wall of darkness. "Again?"

"Get away," Terra whispered then yelled, "Get out of here! All of you! Get away from me before it's too late!"

"Oh, sweet sister, it already is too late," Thorn said. "This is no mere, poorly planned attack."

"Maybe you shouldn't talk just now," Adria said.

"Doesn't matter. As long as I have this little sister of mine I'm unstoppable." Thorn rested his chin on Terra's shoulder. "Shall we pick up where we left off before?"  
"No," Terra whispered. "Please."

Thorn chuckled.

Vines snapped out at Terra's friends, slicing open their skin and knocking them down. Her knees buckled as everything around her went black.

...

**Author's Note: Some of these chapters stink. I might edit them later.**


	19. Past & Present Pain

Past & Present Pain

Terra had no idea how long she had been huddled in the corner of this room. She had no idea where she was. She had no idea where Bakugo was. She had no idea why they were staying in one place for so long and not causing destruction. All she knew was Bakugo was near. She recalled Adria telling her that at some point since she had been brought here. And she knew she had to tell him the truth.

The door creaked open.

"I want to see him," Terra said.

"So you're finally coherent," Thorn said. "I was beginning to wonder about you."

"I want to see him."

"What? You're acting like you're locked away in this room." Thorn knelt down in beside her. "You can come and go as you please from this room."

Terra flinched at his hand landing on her head. She trembled.

Thorn laughed. "I can't believe your afraid of me. It's only me, little sister. We're finally together again. Everything will be okay."

"I-I want to see him."

Thorn sighed. "Whatever. Adria, take her to the brat."

"Fine."

Terra waited for her brother's footsteps to fade before forcing herself to stand. Keeping distance between them she followed Adria out of the room and down the hall. Terra tried to focus on the things around her, tried to figure out where they were. It was impossible. All she could see was devastation, pain, darkness, and blood. So much blood.

"He's in here." Adria opened the door. "Do _not_ remove his restraints but for the gag. I'll be out in the hall so I'll know if you do."

Terra stepped into the room. She forced her eyes up to Bakugo. He was chained and gagged. Her heart squeezed at the shock in his eyes. He didn't know she was here.

She waited for Adria to leave. The door clicked. She walked over to the boy and, with trembling hands, removed the gag from his mouth.

"What the shell are you doing here, Plant Face? Did they capture you too?"

Terra nodded. She licked her lips. "But it's not for the same reason they brought you here. I'm sure of that."

"Whatever. Just get me out of here. Then we'll blast our way out."

"It won't work." Terra dropped her eyes from him.

"What do you mean? Of course it will. I can handle this jerks. They only took me me by surprise before. There are plenty of them you can wrap up in your vines. We'll escape together."

"No. It won't." Terra wrapped her arms around her trembling body. "I... I can't help you."

"What are you talking about?"

"He can control me. Thorn, my brother." Tears formed in her eyes.

"What?!" Bakugo gasped.

"It first happened when I was only three," Terra said. "I don't remember it, but he always told me about it. He was so proud of himself. Then, when I was five, he used me to attack our hometown." She gritted her teeth. "Plants all over the place... they did what my brother wanted... through me. There was so much destruction. All I can still see it. Flames, crumbling buildings, blowing up cars, people screaming, bodies on the ground, blood, so much blood. I hurt them all." Tears poured freely down her cheeks. "I killed so many people that day. It's my fault."

"What kind of stupid talk is that?!" Bakugo snapped. "If what you're saying is true then it wasn't your fault! Where were your parents?! Why didn't they stop him?!"

"They didn't care about me. I don't even remember their faces. They left us one day. That's all I know." Terra sucked in a short, sharp breath. "If it wasn't for All Might and Endeavor I would have killed so many more people."

"Stop talking like that!" Bakugo growled. "It wasn't your fault!"

"It was! I killed so many people that day!" Terra screamed and shook her head. "It wasn't suppose to be like this! I never should have went to UA! I'm not a hero!"

"Will you shut up?! You're-"

The door swung open. A couple men walked in.

"Hey, you idiots! Let us go!" One put the gag back on Bakugo when he started yelling. He continued to struggled against his confinements.

"You too, girl," the man said. "Thorn wants you to hear this."

Terra followed them out. She stood beside Bakugo when he was placed in the room with several people. She half listened to them try to recruit Bakugo to their side. They even released him from his restraints.

It was pointless. She knew Bakugo wasn't the type to become a villain. But it didn't matter. They couldn't escape from here. Suddenly a hand grasped her arm.

Terra jumped, thinking it was her brother. But it was Bakugo. He had pulled her behind him. "Bakugo..."

"You are are beyond stupid if you think I'd ever join you! We're leaving this place!" Bakugo said. "Shape up, Terra! You're not weak!"

"But, Bakugo..." Terra eyes went to his shoulders. They were taught, ready for a fight. He was always ready for a fight. _How can he be so strong in a situation like this? We're outnumbered. Thorn could take control of me at any point._

"You're out of your mind if you think you can take my little sister from me." Thorn formed a vine from his finger.

Terra stiffened as the vine shot towards her.

"Back off!" Bakugo grabbed the vine and blasted it. "I'm not let you torture her again!"

Terra gasped.

"What all can he do with this vines?" Bakugo asked.

Terra stared.

"Snap out of it! I need you to focus! Tell me what all he can do!"

Terra jolted. "He can only create thin ones from his fingers. They can reach about seven meters."

"That's it? No wonder he has to force you to be his puppet." Bakugo grinned. "You're much stronger than he is, Terra."

Terra's eyes widened. He said her name again instead of Plant Face.

"You stupid little punk!" Thorn snapped. "Look around you! Do you really think you can get away from us?! Adria!"

"Right." Adria began to sink into the shadows. A knock on the door stopped her.

"Kamino Pizza!"

The villains tensed. The confusion and tension on their faces told Terra no one had ordered a pizza.

_Then that means..._

The door busted open and pro heroes flooded in.

"All Might!" Terra ran to the man and threw her arms around him. Her cries mixed with the chaos around them. "All Might!"

"It's all right, Terra." All Might hugged her. "I am here now. I've got you."

Terra nodded, to upset and relieved that this nightmare was over to speak.

"Stay close to me," All Might ordered.

Terra did. But it wasn't enough. A horrid black murk flooded her mouth. She grasped at it, trying to pull it off. It wrapped her in darkness. She heard All Might crying out her name before everything went silent.

Slow seconds ticked by before light began to shine again. She gagged upon reappearing in another location. Terra looked around. All the of villains and Bakugo had also been transported.

"That was gross!" Toga said.

"This stuff stinks!" Twice said. "I love it!"

"I don't know what happened but I won't let you get away!" Thorn shot a vine out at Terra.

Terra froze. A blast flashed in front of her eyes.

"Back off!" Bakugo snapped.

Blinking the after lights away, Terra found Bakugo standing in front of her again.

"If you want her you'll have to get past me first!"

"Bakugo?"  
"Stay behind me, Terra. I won't let him take over you again."

"But..." Terra looked over all the villains surrounding them until her eyes landed on one she hadn't seen before. Terror washed over her. This one was different from the others. And it wasn't because he didn't have a face and some sort of apparatus attached to his body. There was something extremely dangerous about him. As the villains spoke to each other she inched closer to Bakugo. She tugged on his shirt. "Don't fight. There are too many."

"I don't care," Bakugo said with forced control. "I'm not going to let them get away with it. Besides, All Might and the other pro heroes are here. They won't let us be taken again. Until they arrive I'm going to blast these morons to pieces."

Terra's head pounded. That wasn't going to work. Bakugo couldn't face all of them. She had to do something. But what? With Thorn so close she... She gritted her teeth. She really was useless. And helpless.

"Ah, there he is." The new villain looked up.

Terra followed his gaze and saw All Might flying towards them. He headed right to the new villain. And the dam broke. All Might focused on that one villain the rest of them merged on her and Bakugo.

Bakugo didn't hesitate and traded blasts with the villains in an attempt to not get caught again.

Terra's head spun. She knew she should help. But how could she? Her brother was right there. She couldn't fight against him. She couldn't _not_ fight against him. She had to help Bakugo. She had to. But how? Her body was frozen in place.

Her eyes drifted to All Might. _He's not putting his full strength into his attacks. It's because of us. Bakugo and myself are in the way. He's protecting us. _Terra looked around the battlefield.Adria was doing her best to put Thorn into places that would give him the advantage over Bakugo. But it wasn't working. Bakugo was more focused on Thorn than the other villains. _You idiot. Stop trying to protect me._

Suddenly, a coolness tickled her skin. "Sho-chan?"

A large ice ramp rose up into the air. Three people launched from the top of it. Terra blinked and noticed it was Kirishima, Midoriya, and Iida.

"Come on!" Kirishima held out his hand towards them.

Before Terra could move Bakugo pulled her to his chest.

"Hold on!"

Terra wrapped her arms around his neck. Her body jerked forward with his blast. Suppressing a scream she sprouted some vines to wrap the two of them together, closing her eyes tight.

"You idiots!" Bakugo said.

Terra peaked through one eye in time to see Mount Lady rise up from the ground. Something smashed in the pro's face. A couple villains fell through the air. If it hadn't been for Mount Lady the villains might have caught up to them.

"Guys, we're slowing down! Anyone have a plan on how we're to land without getting hurt?" Iida asked.

"Terra, can you use your vines?" Midoriya asked.

Terra nodded. Spiraling vines from the ground below she formed a net for them to land on. They bounced upon hitting it. She then lowered them the rest of the way to the ground.

"Are you okay?" Midoriya stepped in front of Terra.

"I guess," Terra said. _No. I'm not okay. I'm pathetic._

"We should get moving," Iida said. "We're still fairly close to the fight."

The group moved on until they were blending in with the crowd as they evacuated.

Exhaustion crashed over Terra. All she wanted was to curl up in bed and sleep.

"Yeah, she's right here. Terra, Todoroki wants to talk to you." Midoriya handed her his phone.

"Sho-chan?"

"_I'm so glad you're okay. Are you hurt?"_  
"No. I'm not hurt. Just tired. I want to go home." Fresh tears appeared in her eyes.

"_I know. We're working on that. Right now we have to stay with the crowds. Stay with Midoriya and the others until we can unite again."_ A pause. _"I'm so glad you're okay."_

"Yeah." Terra brushed her tears away. They hung up and proceeded with the evacuation until All Might's fight appeared on the jumbo screen above everyone. They paused to watch it.

Something was wrong. Terra could tell by the way All Might was fighting. His punches weren't as strong nor as fast as they should have been. Then his body deflated. Murmurs rose up in the crowds about All Might's weakened form.

Terra's head swam. "No... All Might... you can't..."

With each blow All Might and this villain exchanged with each other the more she felt the world around her close in. The crowds' yelling faded from her mind as her heart pounded in her ears.

Then the world went black.

...

Terra hugged her knees to her chest. Her eyes were locked on the TV despite the fact her mom had turned it off long ago. The news was filled with talks of All Might. He was now retired from the hero life. She didn't want to believe it. She refused to. There was no way All Might could be retired.

She was waiting for him to come to see her.

Her eyes fell to Birdie. The device was perched on the coffee table. A light flashed to indicate missed calls and unread text messages. Almost all of her classmates had called her, but she hadn't spoke to a single one of them. She couldn't face them. The only one she could stand to be around is Todoroki. He remained by her side, rubbing her back and telling her that it was all going to be okay. Telling her nothing was her fault. That she had nothing to be sorry about.

She dropped her eyes into her knees. He was wrong. There was a lot that was her fault.

Minutes passed before a familiar warm arm wrapped around her shoulders. Todoroki stood from the couch. She didn't know where he went but she knew he was still there.

"Terra, sorry I couldn't come sooner."

"Is it true? Are you really retired from being a hero?"

"I am."

Terra gritted her teeth.

"But it's much more than that. There's something I feel I need to tell you now."

Terra forced her eyes up at him. She knitted her brow at the guilt in his eyes. "Uncle Toshi?"

"I'm so sorry for keeping this from you. Please, understand it was for the best. But this is how things really are..."

...

Terra stared at her uncle. She couldn't believe what Toshinori had told her. It couldn't be true. It was bad enough that he confirmed he was no longer a hero. But to learn that his quirk was given to him from someone else? There were no words to describe the hurt she felt inside. Her mouth bobbed up and down in an attempt to form words. Nothing came.

"I know this is hard for you to understand," Toshinori said. "And I am sorry I kept this from you for all these years. I only did it to protect you. I didn't want anyone to use you against me."

Her words finally came back to her. There was something she had to know. "And Midoriya... there was more to him than you said. I knew he was too similar to you." Terra let her hair fall over her eyes. "Why? Why have us become friends? What's the real reason? Was it because you really wanted us to be friends? Or because you passed your quirk to him?"

Toshinori sighed. "I truly believed you two would be good friends. But, yes, it was also because of me passing my quirk to Young Midoriya. I wanted to know you would still have people to care for you when I couldn't."

Terra gripped her fists. It was too much. Without a word she shot to her feet, ran to her room, and slammed the door behind her. Falling onto her bed she shoved her face into her pillow and cried.

...

Terra lay staring up at her ceiling. Beside her Todoroki was sleeping, the ever loyal friend keeping close as she worked through all her confusion and fears.

A few days had passed since All Might's last fight and the truth about his quirk was given to her. Her mind was still murky mess, cluttered with so many questions, worries, and guilt. All Might was no more. Midoriya had his quirk. Her brother was back.

And there was nothing she could do about any of it. She was weak. She was useless.

Standing she left her room for the first time since she'd ran into it and locked everyone else out.

The house was quiet but for the ghosts of past memories. She wasn't sure if her mom went back to work or if the woman was in bed. She wasn't going to check. Instead she headed up to street level and left the house.

A cool night breeze wrapped around her. Her mind told her this was a bad idea. She shouldn't be outside by herself with her brother so close.

Ignoring the voice telling her to go back inside, she headed down the sidewalk, not sure where she was going. All the while her mind kept going over everything that happened until she found herself standing on the beach.

Bakugo. He was amazing. He showed no fear even though they had been kidnapped and had several villains around them.

All she could do was cower. She was no hero. She shouldn't even be at UA. She wasn't going to go back.

"I'm such a coward." Terra shook her head. She had to go back to UA. She couldn't let this continue. But could she over come her fear of her brother?

"Terra!"

"Huh?" Terra turned to find Midoriya and Todoroki running over to her. "What are you two doing-"  
"Don't even start with that!" Todoroki glared as his voice rose. "Are you insane?! You were kidnapped a few days ago! And you're out here walking around at night by yourself?! What were you thinking?! Do you have any idea how worried I was when I woke up and found you weren't in the house?!"

Terra opened her mouth but didn't get a chance to answer.

"No! I don't want to hear it! Clearly you weren't thinking!" Todoroki waved his hand, cutting her off.

"Todoroki called us when he woke up and found you weren't there. We all came out to look for you," Midoriya said.

"We all?" Terra asked.

"Yeah. Our entire class is out looking for you. I'll text them and let them know you're safe." Midoriya pulled out his phone.

Terra took a moment to watch him before turning to Todoroki. He was staring out at the horizon, his eyes filled with anger. She swallowed and braced herself to apologize to him. Before she could get a word out his lips landed on hers. Heat flooded her cheeks. Her heart hammered her chest.

Todoroki pulled away and hugged her. "You idiot. What were you thinking running off like that? Do you have any idea how scared I was? I thought you had been taken again. I thought I'd lost you again."

"They're on their way." Midoriya looked at the two. "Something wrong, Terra? You look a bit flushed."

"It's nothing." Todoroki pulled away from her. "She's fine."

"Anyway, we're meeting back up at Terra's house. Let's go." Midoriya stood beside Terra. "Let's walk with her between us."

"Right." Todoroki nodded.

Terra's mind reeled as her feet took her home. Todoroki had kissed her. But why? Sure they've shared kisses on the cheeks, foreheads, and temples. Never the lips. She never thought about the lips. Kissing on the lips was for boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife. Never friends. Never _them_.

She snuck a glance at him. His eyes were now focused on getting her back home unharmed.

...

"Terra!" Ojiro came rushing up to the trio with everyone else behind him, including Bakugo.

"We were so worried about you," Uraraka said.

"Why did you run off like that?" Asui asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone," Terra said. "I guess I needed to get out on my own and clear my head. There's been a lot going on lately."

"But why go outside by yourself after that attack with your brother?" Tokoyami asked.

"I'm not really sure why exactly I did it." Terra paused then continued. "But I think it was the right thing to do. I was able to come to a decision about something."

"Ribbit. It sounds important." Asui pressed her finger to her chin.

"It is. I've decided that I do want to be a hero." The wind picked up her hair. "I never wanted to be one from the beginning. All Might pulled strings and got me into UA."

"What? Are you serious?" Iida asked.

Terra nodded. "I am. I never wanted it. I didn't think I could do anything but hide underground. But after everything that happened..." She looked at Bakugo. In that moment she felt it. A bond had formed between them. He nodded as if to encourage her to continue. "I know now that I want to. And I know what kind of hero I want to be."

"And that would be?" Ashido asked.

"I want to be a hero that teaches kids like myself that just because their parents or a brother or sister do bad things they don't have to be a villain. That there is hope. That they can do positive things in this world. And for me to start on that path I want to show you all what my life has been like."

"Terra, are you sure?" Todoroki asked.

Terra glanced at him before looking away, hoping the night shadows covered her flushed cheeks. She nodded. "I am. Let's go back to my house. There's something I need to show you all."

"Your house? But we've already seen it," Ojiro said sharing a look with Asui.

"No." Terra shook her head. "That building is only a facade. My real home is under it."

Murmurs rolled through her class as Terra lead them inside and to the elevator.

"What the heck? Why do you have an elevator in your house? It's only one story!" Kaminari said.

"Shut up. She told us she'll show us." Jiro smacked the boy on his head.

One by one Terra entered them into the computer security system. More murmurs erupted once everyone was in her real home. "This is it. I've been living here since All Might and Endeavor rescued me from my brother when I was a kid."

"This is insane!" Kaminari said. "You have a pool!"

"And a ton of weight lifting equipment!" Kirishima added. "Is that a rock climbing wall?!"

"What is this madness?! Are you secretly rich too?!" Mineta asked.

"No, not really. I mean Mom does get plenty of money for all the security systems she creates. Some of her friends are the ones who actually built this place. She did the security system," Terra said. "I assume Sho-chan told you about my past?"

"He told us at the hospital when we were making plans to come after you and Ka-chan," Midoriya said.

"I can't believe what a jerk your brother is!" Uraraka cried.

"Total jerk!" Hagakure added.

Terra nodded. "Then I don't have to go over that again."

"You poor thing!" Ashido threw her arms around Terra and cried. "How awful!"

"It must have been really hard for you," Sato said.

"At least you're doing better now. And you can move into the dorms with us!" Uraraka said.

"It's not the same without you around," Sero said.

"Why don't we pack up your stuff now?" Kirishima looked around. "Where's your room?"  
"Over here." Terra went to her room.

"What?! What's with all the frogs?!" Mineta asked.

"I really like them. I guess it comes from All Might give me this one." Terra pointed at the frog lying on her bed. "It was the first toy I ever got."

"It's so cute!" Ashido picked the plushie up and hugged it.

"We should get some boxes," Shoji said.

"We don't have to that night. It's kind of late," Terra said. "I'm sure you all are tired from looking for me."

"Then let's have a sleep over!" Hagakure said. The girls cheered.

"Huh?" Terra blinked.

"Why not? Your place is big enough." Ojiro smiled.

"It's fine with me." Everyone turned to find Terra's mom and Toshinori standing in the doorway.

"Mom?"

"You all can stay the night then pack Terra up for the dorms tomorrow," Tomoko said.

The class cheered again.

Terra huffed then locked eyes with her uncle. Guilt flooded her chest. He had told her the truth about himself and she shut him out. She rushed to him and threw her arms around his waist.

"I'll give you two a moment alone and help the others get settled in for the night." Tomoko walked away.

"I'm so sorry." Tears filled Terra's eyes.

"It's okay, Terra." Toshinori stroked her hair. "It's understandable. You were in shock."

"I still feel bad. It's partly my fault that you had to fight that villain. If you didn't then you would still be All Might."

"No." Toshinori pulled her away and gave her a stern look. "This isn't your fault. I told you I would lose my powers eventually. You and Bakugo being taken had nothing to do with it. Do you understand?"  
"I guess. I still feel guilty. I shouldn't have let Bakugo fight all on his own. And you."

"It's fine. You never got the chance to work through all the trauma you went through as a kid. But you can overcome that now. If you want I can set you up with someone so you can talk to them. The school has plenty of connections."

"I guess... maybe that would be a good idea."

"Good." Toshinori patted her head. "I'll get it set up for you."

"Hey, Terra! We have popcorn! Let's watch some movies!" Kirishima called out.

"Go on. You deserve some good times with your friends." Toshinori gave her a shove.

"Okay." Terra nodded and joined her friends.

"Mind if I ask you something?" Asui asked.

"Sure." Terra sat down on the floor. Someone had moved the coffee table out of the way so they all could sleep in the same area of the living room.

"If your brother can control you with his vines does that mean someone else could do it too?"

Everyone paused and looked at Terra.

"I don't know. All Might and Mom wanted me to get tested. But I was so scared about everything and everyone because of what happened that it never happened. I think only my brother can do it. Possibly my biological parents too, assuming they have plant related quirks."

"Will you have that tested now?" Sato asked.

Terra hummed. "I don't know.

"She doesn't have to decide now," Todoroki said.

Terra jump at his voice.

"Right!" Uraraka nodded. "One step at a time! And we'll be there with you all of the way!"

"Thanks, guys." Terra smiled.

...

"She's going to be fine now," Tomoko said as she rejoined Toshinori and watched the teenagers.

Toshinori nodded. "Yeah. She's going to be just fine."


	20. Provisional Licensing Exam

Provisional Licensing Exams

"Are you okay?"  
"Huh?" Terra pulled her eyes from the window and looked at Ojiro. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Terra frowned. "Do I look like something's wrong?"

"Yes." Ojiro nodded. "You usually sit with Todoroki."

Terra looked forward, across the bus, to where Todoroki was sitting. "Yeah, well..."

"Did something happen between you two?"  
The kiss rushed back to Terra's mind. Heat rose on her cheeks. "Y-yes."

"Was it a fight?"

"No. It wasn't a fight. It wasn't a bad thing... At least I don't think it was. Maybe it was. I don't know." Terra sighed.

"Want to tell me what happened?"

Terra pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She hadn't told anyone about Todoroki kissing her. And she hadn't spoke about it with him either. Nor has he brought it up. He seemed to be waiting for her to make the first move. If only she knew what that move should be. Never had she thought about him as more than a friend, a sibling. Now everything was twisted. She couldn't talk to him about him. But she had to talk to someone. "Promise you won't tell anyone?"  
"Promise."

"The other night at the beach, when you all were looking for me."

"Yeah."

"Sho-chan yelled at me then he... he k-kissed me."

"Really? I didn't think you two were _that_ close."

"I didn't either. I mean we're not."

"You never thought about it?"

Terra shook her head. "I'm so confused. I don't have a clue what to do."

"Well, you should talk to him."

"I'm not sure I can." Terra looked at Ojiro.

"Sorry I can't give you better advice. But that's what you need to do. You two have never had any issues talking before."

"Maybe." Terra turned back to the window.

The bus pulled to a stop in the parking lot of the National Dagoba Arena where the test was being held. Picking up their briefcases they left the bus. The arena appeared to be a circus tent with red and yellow striped outer walls and a metal roof that came together at a tall point in the center.

"So this is it, huh? The place that will decide if we take that next step to become pro heroes," Terra mumbled to herself before Aizawa's voice grabbed her attention.

"Mineta! It's not about whether or not you can. Go and get it!"

"R-right. Of course!" Mineta nodded.

Aizawa looked at his class. "If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will become chicks. You'll hatch into semi-pros. Do your best!'

"All right! I'll become a chick!" Kaminari cheered.

"Careful," Jiro said. "If you overcharge yourself, you'll just be served over easy."

Terra smiled. Despite all the nerves everyone was having it wasn't messing with them too much.

"All right! Let's do this everyone!" Kirishima said with an enthusiastic fist pump, "Go beyond. Plus-"

"ULTRA!" a tall, muscular boy shouted as he raced to the center of the group and thrust his hand into the air. He wore a white collared shirt, black pants, and a black captain's hat with a red line across the brim and a yellow S at the front.

A boy and a girl, wearing the same uniform as the intruder, walked up to them.

"You shouldn't just barge in on other people's huddles, Inasa," the boy said.

Inasa gasped. "Oh no!" His arms slapped to the side and he bent low and hard, bashing his head on the ground. "I am sorry!"

Terra jumped. How was that boy still standing after a hit like that?

"What's with this guy? He trying to get by with just his enthusiasm?!" Kaminari asked while the entire class of 1-A stared at this bizarre person.

"Wait! That uniform! It's from that famous school in western Japan!" Jiro said. "Shiketsu!"

The boy stood back up with blood streaming down his face. "I wanted to try saying it just once! Plus Ultra! I _love _UA! I am extremely honored to be able to compete against UA students."

"Inasa Yoarashi," Aizawa said as they watched the boy rejoin the rest of the Shiketsu test takers and enter the building. "First year, the same as you guys. He tried out the same year too. Yoarashi got the top scores of those admitted through recommendations, but for some reason, he turned down his acceptance to UA."

"Shiketsu, huh?" Terra watched those students disappear into the building.

"Eraser? It's you, isn't it?! Eraser?!" A woman was approached with an orange bandana tied around her green hair and a sash of smiley faces around her waist. "It's been awhile! Hey! Let's get married."

"No."

The woman clutched her sides. "Ha! Good one!"

"You're hard to talk to, as usual, Joke."

After Midoriya spewed facts about the female pro hero: Joke, another rival from another school walked over. He seemed friendly at first but Bakugo pointed out it was all fake before Aizawa ushered them inside to change clothes.

Twenty minutes later, all the students found themselves crowded into the lobby of the arena where a wary middle-aged man named Mera from the Public Safety Commission resided as their proctor explained the process they were going through, including a very shocking bomb. "Only 100 of you will pass."

"What?!" Gasps and murmurs rose in the room.

"Well... a lot's happened out there in the world." Mera sighed with his eyes drooping. "And you know... about luck and everything... So anyways... Here are the requirements." He held up a ball in one hand and a metal disk in the other. "The examinees will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere as long as it's an exposed area. You can't put them on the soles of your feet or on your armpits. Everyone will also get six of these balls. The targets are made to only light up if they're hit by these balls and if all three of your targets light up, then you're out. The person who lights up your third target will have it count as their defeat. You get through this round by defeating two people. After we open, we'll pass out the targets and balls, and then we'll start one minute after we've gotten to everyone."

The ceiling above them split open with a mechanical grumble and then all four walls came down, opening up the entire room into a large dirt field with various settings lined around the arena. There was a large urban setting, an industrial zone, a mountainous terrain, a stretch of highway, and even a forest complete with a lush waterfall.

"It's like the USJ, " Terra said.

"I believe you all have terrain that you like and dislike," Mera said. "Use your quirks well and do your best."

Class 1-A were huddled together as they received their equipment for this test. Terra placed her a target on her stomach, one on her thigh, and one on her chest, figuring it would be the best places for her to guard them.

"Tch. This isn't a field trip. Count me out," Bakugo growled as he stormed off.

"Hey! Wait!" Kirishima ran after him.

"Same. I can't use my quirk freely in a large group. So I'm going to head off." Todoroki said, his eyes going right to Terra.

Terra averted her eyes and nodded. Part of her wanted to go with him. But her confusion kept her in place.

"Ready? Test, start!"

Several pro hero hopefuls came flying through the air with their balls in hand. The second boy who confronted them outside smirked. "Looks like we got the famous first years. This should be easy."

Class 1-A jumped into action.

Terra knocked down a couple teenagers with her vines. The ground vibrated. She looked to find Jiro was using her quirk to throw everyone off their balance.

The balls resurfaced through the earth and raced towards Mineta.

"I got this!" Ashido said as she flicked her acid towards the balls, "Maximum viscosity and solubility... Acid Veil!"

An acid wall streaked across the sky, disintegrating the projectiles and dripped back down to the earth.

"Everyone, fall back!" The boy got to his knees and put his hands to the ground. "Their defenses are strong. So let's break it up! Maximum Force Tremoring Earth!"

The ground broke from underneath them, splitting the earth, creating canyons, and destroying what was left of the mountain.

Class 1-A screamed as they fell.

Terra searched out for vines to sprout up from the ground to grab her class. None was there. She spun a vine in a spiral from her hand and landed as softly as possible. Then she threw out her vines, grabbing as many classmates as she could. Or at least the ones who would have harder time landing than others.

...

Time was running down fast. Terra peaked around a rock. She and Ojiro were trying to work their way to _victims_. It was hard considering they couldn't see anyone without exposing themselves.

"We're running out of time," Ojiro said. "We need to make a break for it."

Terra nodded. "Sorry. If there were vines under the ground I could lift a bunch of people up with them. But with all this rock it's impossible."

"It's fine. We're all at a disadvantage here. Let's go." Ojiro took the lead. They weaved in and out of the rocks until they spotted Aoyama's laser. They ran for it. More of the classmates joined them and tackled the remaining students.

"That's three." Terra smiled. "I did it!"

"Same." Ojiro held up his hand.

Terra smacked it with her own.

"Let's get these targets off us," Ojiro said.

As soon as everyone returned their equipment, the first exam came to a close and Mera had turned on the big screen on the center of the wall. The examinees watched the field outside. The field they had just left was suddenly demolished in an instant by several explosions. Their task was revealed to be a rescue exercise as bystanders in the newly formed disaster site.

"Bystanders usually refer to ordinary citizens," Yaoyorozu said.

_"We will assume that those of you who have passed the first test have received your provisional licenses and test how well you can carry out suitable rescue procedures,"_ Mera said.

"Wait! There are actual people there." They watched hundreds of people, from the elderly to children, disperse through the various destroyed terrains.

_"These are people who have undergone training to be professional people-in-need-of-rescue,"_ Mera explained. _"And are in high demand now. 'Help Us Company' or HUC for short. They are dressed up as civilians and are on standby throughout the disaster site. We will now have you all carry out their rescue. In addition, you will score your rescue based on points and if you have more points than the benchmark at the end of the exercises, then you pass. We will start in 10 minutes so please use the restroom and take care of any other necessary business right now."_

Terra watched a ruckus between a couple students, Todoroki being one of them.

Todoroki clenched his fists to his side and he took a step forward. "You... The loud guy with the scarf."

Inasa paused before turned in Todoroki's direction, while the rest of his school kept on walking.

"Did I offend you or something?" Todoroki asked.

Inasa looked down at him from the tip of his nose. His facial expression hardened more and more with each passing second before he spilled out his first meeting with Endeavor.

Terra wasn't surprised how Endeavor acted towards this guy. Endeavor was not a kind person.

"Well, I'm sorry, Endeavor's son... but I hate you. You've changed a bit since back then, but your eyes are the same as Endeavor's."

Todoroki's eyes widened.

"Shut up!" Terra marched over to Inasa. "Shoto's nothing like his dad! Don't talk about things you don't know!"

Todoroki grabbed her arm and held her back.

"Take it back! Take it back!"

"Terra, stop it," Todoroki said.

Terra gritted her teeth.

With a call from a classmate, Inasa turned on his heels and joined his classmates.

...

_"Villains have begun a large-scale terrorist attack! This is occurring in the urban areas,"_ Mera voice called out as the screen flicked on to show the different disaster zones and alarms started blaring around them. _"Due to buildings collapsing, there are many injured."_

The ground shook beneath their feet as the walls around them unfolded once more.

"This opens up too?!" Kirishima exclaimed.

_"Due to heavily damaged roads, the first group of rescue workers have been delayed," _Mera continued._ "Until they arrive the heroes in the area will lead the rescue efforts. Save as many lives as you can. Well, then... begin."_

The class took off with Iida leading the way towards the nearest collapsed building. "Saving lives! That is the greatest ambition of a hero!"

Bakugo, Kirishima, and Kaminari took off from the group.

"Even if this is just an exercise, this is pretty crazy," Asui said.

"What's the plan?" Ojiro asked as he raced past them.

They ran through the devastated city streets, wary of any falling debris or weakening foundations, and found a boy in a blue cap, kneeling in the ruins and crying at the top of his lungs. "H-help!"

"There! He's over there!" Midoriya shouted

"My grandpa! He's been crushed!" the boy screamed.

"What? This is bad!"

The person looked up, revealing a rounded face of a middle-aged man, covered in fake blood and dressed to appear as a young child.

"This is bad?!" the kid said. "Are you serious?!"

Terra listened to the _kid_ as he continued to ran on about how heroes should act when saving someone from a disaster. He was right. They had to think. She scanned the chaos around her. "I think... I think I'm going to head to another area."

"Really?" Ojiro asked.

"I'll be more helpful in other areas. My vines might cause more damage here than else where," Terra said.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"I'm going to head over to the landslide mountain area. I can lift people up out of dangerous situations," Terra said.

"Be careful," Ojiro said.

"You too." Terra ran off.

"Help!"

Terra ran towards the voice. Reaching the edge of the cliff she spotted two people standing on a rock away from the mainland. One way lying on the ground. "Hold on! I'll be right there!"

She anchored one vine to a rock then threaded out another to where the victims were. "Tell me what hurts."

"M-my leg. I think it's broken."

"Don't worry. I'm here to help. Did either of you hit your heads?" Terra knelt down and started bracing the man's leg.

"No."

"I did," the woman said.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"Ami."

"Do you know what day it is?"  
"Friday."

"Do you remember how you got here?"

"Yes. My husband and I were out for a walk when blasts went off around us. Rocks were rolling very where."

"It sounds like you don't have a concussion. That's good. But I still need to get you to safety and have a doctor look at you." The man winced at her tightening her vine. "Sorry. It'll be okay. There are a lot of heroes out here. You're not allow. Keep that in mind. You're not allow. You'll be fine."

"Okay, okay. We get it." The woman crossed her arms.

"Sorry." Terra ducked her head. "I tend to babble. There. I'm going to lift you two back up to the mainland. Hold on." She lifted the woman to safety first then the man before lifting herself. She picked up the man in her vines and walked them away from the area. "Looks like some heroes set up a medical station."

"Bring them here," a girl hero said to her.

Terra walked over to the blanket and laid the man down. "He has a broken leg. The woman was hit in the head with the rock but is able to answer questions. I don't think she has a concussion but she needs to be checked out."

"Got it." The girl nodded. "I'll take care of them from here."

Terra headed back to the field to continue her work when explosions fired off in every direction.

_"Villains have appeared and started their pursuit. Hero candidates at the scene should continue their rescue efforts while also suppressing the villains."_

"Now we have villains to deal with? Great." Terra looked around until she spotted people moving towards the medical area. She debated for a moment whether she should go help fight the villains or stay and help survivors before choosing to leave the villains in more capable hands. There were others who were suited for fighting more than she was, especially when this area doesn't have plants for her to manipulate. She felt better about leaving with Todoroki appearing between the villains and the injured.

She rescued a few more people before the buzzer signaled the end of the exam.

The students gathered to learn their results.

Terra gasped at the sight of her name on the board. "I... I did it? I passed?" Then she looked for Todoroki's name. It wasn't there. "What?" She rushed to him. "Sho-chan, what happened? Why aren't you up there?"  
"I messed up big time when I fought against Gang Orca." Todoroki lifted his left hand. "I fought with another student and almost lost big time." He looked at her. "But it's okay. I know I messed up. And I will fix it. Don't feel sorry for me."

Terra nodded knowing she'd feel bad about it anyway.

A few minutes later their results were handed out. Terra mostly got docked from babbling so much and a few times where she stood around too long. "I'm really going to have to work on that." Her eyes found Todoroki going over his own results. A heated tap of her heart forced her to turn away from him. _What was that?_


	21. Kids, Hearts, & Feelings

Kids, Hearts, & Feelings

"Thanks for accompanying me to the therapist's." Terra exhale to calm her trembling body. Talking to a stranger about what happened to her as a kid wasn't as easy as she hoped it would be. But the first day was over. It would get better. She hoped.

"Any time." Toshinori smiled. "Have you hear any news about your blood tests?"

"Not yet." Terra's eyes dropped to the bend of her elbow. It had been a week since she had been to the doctor's. They all wanted to know if anyone else with plant quirks could control her. The principle set up a test between her and the other plant user from Class 1-B, Ibara. Ibara was unable to take control of her. The second part of learning what this control was all about was doing blood samples.

A few of UA's teachers had a theory that Thorn's ability to take control of Terra was a genetic mutation.

Terra had mixed feelings about the theory.

"I thought that Young Todoroki would join you," Toshinori said.

Terra jolted from her thoughts as the kiss flashed back into her mind. Todoroki had been keeping his distance since then. So had she.

"Something wrong?"

"N-no. It's nothing." Terra looked out the window to watch the passing buildings.

"Did you two have a fight?" Toshinori leaned forward to look at her. "Are you blushing?"

"No! It's nothing!" Terra covered her face with her hands to compose herself. "Sorry. I didn't mean to snap."

"It's okay." Toshinori blinked. "Oh, we're back. How are things in the dorm?"

"It's different from living underground all the time. But I'm adjusting. It helps that Mister Aizawa is living there too. If Thorn shows up he'll be easy to stop."

Toshinori nodded. "So are you ready for the provisional licensing exam?"

Terra slump in her chair. Her seat belt pressed into her chin. "No, not really."

"You're going to do fine." Toshinori patted her knee.

"I hope so." The car pulled up to the dorm. Terra opened the door and crawled out.

Toshinori followed. "Call me any time you need me."

"I will." Terra hugged her uncle before heading inside.

...

"So have you told him yet?" Ojiro swung his tail at Terra.

Terra dodged the attack then snapped a vine at him. He blocked with his tail. She snapped a vine at him again and pulled one up from the ground. She wrapped the ground one around his ankle and held him in the air.

"You've gotten better at simultaneous control."

"Thanks." Terra sat him on his feet. "It's getting easier."

Ojiro brushed sweat off his chin. "What about speaking to Todoroki?"

"No progress whatsoever." Terra shook her head. "I just want everything to go back to normal."

"That can't be possible if you don't talk to him."

Terra rubbed her arm. "I'm going to shower then go to my room."

Ojiro sighed but said nothing more.

...

"You want to have a sleep over?" Terra asked. "But we sleep over all the time since we live in the same building."

"Yeah, but it's not the same," Hagakure said. "We're going to have a real sleep over. Just us girls. We already have Mister Aizawa's permission to sleep in the common room."

"We would have used one of our rooms but they're way too small for that," Ashio added. "Plus we want to make cookies for everyone."

"So will you come?" Jiro asked.

"Okay." Terra removed the earphone from her ear and sat Birdie down on the bed. She followed the girls downstairs. A while later warm cookie aroma floated through the air. "How did you get the boys to leave us alone?"

"Mister Aizawa threatened them to stay in their rooms. If they didn't they would run a thousand laps around UA campus," Yaoyorozu said.

"Ribbit. He really stressed that to Mineta." Asui lapped up another cookie with her tongue.

"There! That's the last batch!" Jiro placed the cookie sheet on the counter. "After I get these off the sheet we can move into the common room."

A few minutes later the girls were sprawled out on the floor. Terra was sitting in front of Yaoyorozu having her hair braided. Sitting there she noticed the girls exchanging glances. "Something wrong?"

"Why are you and Todoroki fighting?" Ashido asked.

Terra blinked.

"Ashido!" Uraraka said. "That was too brazen!"

"Sorry." Ashido ducked her head.

"We've all noticed that something odd is going on between you and Todoroki," Asui said. "Ribbit."

"Everyone?" Terra asked and got a nod from all the girls.

"We weren't going to say anything until you came to us, but Ojiro was worried about." Yaoyorozu tied of Terra's pigtail braid then sat beside her. "You can talk to us."

Terra thought about it for a moment then told them what she told Ojiro.

"What?! He kissed you?!" Hagakure and Ashido screamed.

"Keep it down," Jiro said. "We agreed not to get so noisy."

"Sorry." The girls ducked their heads.

"I'm so at a loss on what to do. We've always been friends." Terra hugged her knees.

"You're worried that this might hurt your friendship with him so you don't want to face it," Uraraka said.

Terra shrugged. "I guess. All I know is I don't like how things are right now."

"Ojiro's right. You have to talk to Todoroki," Yaoyorozu said. "It's the only way things will get better."

"But what if things don't go back to the way they were?" Terra asked.

"What if they get worse by not talking to him?" Jiro asked.

"Jiro! That's a little harsh!" Hagakure said.

"Maybe but she's right. Ribbit." Asui placed her hand on Terra's head. "Talk to him. Even if you don't have romantic feelings for Todoroki I'm sure he won't hold it against you. Your friendship will always remain. You two have been through a lot together, right?"

Terra nodded. Asui was right. Sho-chan would always be her Sho-chan. He would always be there for her no matter what. "Okay. I'll talk to him."

...

"You want me to come with you?" Terra blinked.

"Yes." Toshinori nodded from Birdie's screen.

"I didn't know I could."

"Well, it is me. I'm sure they won't complain. Besides we'll be sitting in the stands so we won't be in the way. I thought you would like the time out with me. There seems to be something on your mind."

"Oh, yeah." Terra twirled a stand of her hair. She still hadn't spoken to Todoroki. Maybe spending some time with her uncle would help. "Sure. I'll come."

"Great." Toshinori smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night."

"Night." Birdie cut the call. It flew to her desk and plugged in for the night. Terra laid down and pulled her cover up to her chin. Closing her eyes she tried to sleep.

The next morning Terra woke early, ate breakfast, and headed outside before anyone else. While waiting for Toshinori to arrive she practiced with her vines.

"Looking good, Terra!"

Terra turned to find the bus, her uncle, and Present Mic had arrived.

"Thanks." Terra walked over to them. "When did you all get here?"

"A couple minutes ago! You were totally focused!" Present Mic said.

"Walk behind me, you idiot!" Bakugo barked.

Terra turned to find Bakugo and Todoroki walking towards them. She caught Todoroki's eyes for a second. They both looked away.

"You're late! Bad boys!" Present Mic sang.

"Present Mic. And All Might," Todoroki said.

"We'll be leading the group today," All Might said, placing a hand on Terra's shoulder. "Terra will also be joining us."

"Because of the incident yesterday, it looks like Eraser's tied up with a bunch of things he needs to do for the school." Present Mic tapped Bakugo on the forehead.

"What do you mean?" Todoroki asked.

"Something to do with the rescued girl's quirk. Something they need his power for, apparently. Anyway! All Might will be the substitute! Eraser asked me to come along as a bodyguard!"

"A measure we're taking in light of the League's movements," All Might said. "Tardiness is prohibited. Go ahead, board the bus. Let's get those provisional licenses! Hop step! Here we go!" Present Mic said.

They boarded the bus. Terra sat down with her uncle. The bus was silence but for the humming of the engine as it moved through the city. A while later they came to a stop in front of a building.

"All right, we'll be watching from above!" All Might waved to the boys.

"Do your best!" Present Mic added.

They walk down the plain hall.

"Well, well... if it isn't the former number one hero." Endeavor looked at Terra.

Terra shivered. _Why did he have to come? Why is he even here?_

"My thanks for looking after Shoto." Endeavor looked back at All Might.

"Endeavor." All Might shifted on his feet.

"Good timing. I wanted to have a proper chat with you."

Terra cocked an eyebrow. Since when did Endeavor _want_ to talk to All Might?

"I'm gonna go by some coffee! Bye!" Present Mic rushed away.

"I'll come with you!" Terra raced after Present Mic.

"You don't care much for Endeavor, do you?" Present Mic asked.

"I don't." Terra rubbed her arm. She expected him to ask question but he remained silent. "Did you really want to get a coffee?"

"No, I didn't. I could tell those two needed time to speak without an audience."

Terra hummed, even more curious as to why Endeavor would want to talk to All Might.

Ten minutes later they joined up with All Might and Endeavor.

Terra glanced over the room. It was some kind of arena, probably for simple indoor training. A wall separated the seats from the training area. Todoroki, Bakugo, and a few others from the provisional licensing exam stood in their costumes.

"We should go up front, don'tcha think? It'll be easier to see!" Present Mic said.

"I'd rather sit where we don't stand out too much. I wouldn't want to distract everyone," All Might said.

"Shoto!" Endeavor bellowed. "You should be stumbling around a place like this! You're better than that! Now get out there and show'em that you're in a class of your own!"

"See? Here we go." All Might sighed when the students noticed them and called out. "Let's just sit down.

Terra watched as Endeavor sat two chairs over from All Might. Not wanting to be close to the fire hero she took a seat beside Present Mic as Gang Orca yelled at the students below on their short comings and such.

Then a door opened. Kids came rushing into the room and start criticizing the students.

"What in the world?" Terra asked. "Why kind of exam is this? Are they really going to earn their licenses like this?"

"Heroes often have to deal with children during disasters and villain attacks," Present Mic said. "It's important for future heroes to learn how to deal with kids."

Terra hummed. That was something she should have known. She was only a kid when All Might and Endeavor saved her from her brother. Her eyes went back to the kids. She cringed. All the teens were being over run by the kids.

"My M.C. soul! It's reached it's limit!" Present Mic shouted.

"Uh, are you okay, Present Mic?" Terra glanced at the pro beside her.

"BGM! Live commentary! We've gotta have at least that much! An event without those has got no soul!"

"Honestly, whether it has soul or not isn't really-" All Might started.

"If your choices are have or have not obviously it's better to have, Mighty Boy!" Present Mic slammed his foot on the chair in front of him.

"Ah! What are you-" All Might started again.

"Come on, Terra!" Present Mic grabbed Terra's wrist.

"What?! Why me?!"

Present Mic swooped her up in his arms and jumped over the chairs then the wall and landed on the arena floor. He sat her down and grabbed the microphone from Mera and started talking into it. "Alright! Let's get some good vibes going, you dropouts! It's begun! The battle between the rugrats and the nascent heroes!"

The students continue to have trouble, some grab Bakugo's gauntlets.

"Uh, oh, folks! The expressions on team gobies' faces are telling me that they have no idea what to do next!" Present Mic said.

Terra stood by the table, unsure of what she was suppose to do now that Present Mic brought her down here.

"Look, I don't particularly mind or anything, but this is suppose to be a training course, so don't go too crazy," Mera said.

"You got it, Fan! However, it sounds like they have no idea what to do? What is your desire, miss?" Present Mic turned to the kids' teacher.

"Yes. The lower grades of elementary school are a very important time for the formation of their personalities. And because the differences in everyone's quirks have such a large effect on this, we provide counseling, and support them however we can in hopes of fostering a healthy state of mind, but unfortunately, counseling alone has its limits. The children in this class have completely closed their hearts off from us." The teacher bowed her head. "And I know full well that I am the one to be held accountable for that. However, it's my hope that, by interacting with all of you who are striving to achieve your dreams, it will help the children return to their pure, earnest selves."

Terra watched the teens talking among themselves, trying to come up with a plan no doubt. She watched as Inasa picked up a couple kids then flew them in the air. Then Todoroki tried to reach them with his backstory. It didn't work as the kids thought it was boring. She tapped her fingers on her thigh. So what were they suppose to do? How were teenagers suppose to keep the attention of unruly kids? Her eyes lift to All Might. What would he do?

The kids fired their quirks. A boy shoots a black ball with teeth at Bakugo, ripping his mask.

"Kids these days are the worst!" Present Mic said. "Hey, hey, what's going on here? When I was their age I wasn't able to demonstrate this kind of power!"

The teens block the attacks with ease.

Coldness settled over the room as Todoroki created an ice slide. The kids were lifted by Inasa winds.

A heated thump tapped a Terra's heart as she watched her oldest friend with the kids. Never before had she seen him be so gentle with kids before. She pressed a hand to her heart. _Is it possible that I've felt about him like this but didn't know it? Or am I just seeing him in a different light now?_

_No_, Terra thought. This wasn't the first time she had seen him be gentle with a kid. It happened to her. Not long after she had been moved underground for her protection he appeared to her. She was curled up in the corner of her new room. The tears kept pouring from her eyes with no sign of stopping. He placed his hand on her head causing her to jump. She was unsure of him. Scared of him. Until she noticed the bandage wrapped around his left eye and the sadness in his right. He was hurt.

Terra never understood why seeing him like that made her feel better, but it did. Maybe it was because she had seen someone her age who was hurting too. Someone who had a slight idea of what she had been through. Both had been hurt by a family member. Her brother. His dad. Their bond formed that day. And only grew stronger.

Terra's heart thumped against her chest.

Todoroki turned to her, locking eyes.

Without a thought Terra rush to him. He lifted her up with ice and she stood at the top of the slide. With a spin and released flower petals from her hands. They fell down on the kids below her. Looking down she found Todoroki warming kids up with his fire. Another heated thump warmed her chest.

Terra had no idea how long she stayed so high in the air, thinking about the effect her best friend was having on her now. Back on the floor she walked over to him. "Sho-chan?"

"Yes?" He turned to her.

"Can we talk? On the ride back?"

"Sure."

After cleaning up the mess they made, Terra followed All Might and the other pros outside to wait on the teens to change clothes.

"Terra, you've grown up a lot," Endeavor said.

"Uh, yeah, thanks." Terra shifted on her feet, darting her eyes everywhere but on the man. The teens came outside.

"Long time no see, Shoto. You've changed quite a bit." Endeavor reached for his son.

Todoroki slapped his hand away. "Quit it."

"Shoto, I'm proud to call you my son," Endeavor said. "And so I will endeavor to become a hero that you can be proud of. I will be the number one hero... and you can brag that your father is the greatest man in the entire world."

"Do whatever you want." Todoroki rubbed his neck.

Terra cocked an eyebrow_. Is Endeavor trying to change? Can he even change?_

"Endeavor!" Inasa marched over with stiff arms swinging, blood poured down his face. "I will be rooting for you!"

Terra blinked. _Did he hit his head on the sidewalk again?_

"Thanks." Endeavor smiled. "You're bleeding a lot there, boy."

"The bus is here," All Might called.

Terra sat beside the window and tensed slightly when Todoroki sat beside her.

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Us." Terra licked her lips and forced herself to look at him. "I think... I'm pretty sure that I... that I like you too. More than a friend I mean... I wasn't sure at first. Your kiss confused me. I was scared that things would never been the same between us again. Then I saw you with those kids in there. Something changed. Or maybe it didn't change. Maybe it was there all the time and I only noticed it now. I really don't know. All I know is I want to be with you. I'm scared. I don't want things to be messed up between us. What if we do this and we end up hating each other? I don't want anything to change between us." She chuckled nervously. "But I guess that's impossible. Things have already changed. Maybe that's the point. I mean I-"

Todoroki placed a finger on her lips to silence her. "You're talking way too much."

Terra blushed. Before she could attempt a replay Todoroki placed his lips over hers. She stiffened for a few seconds before kissing him back.

"Whoa! We've got some hot stuff happening in the back of the bus!" Present Mic shouted out.

The teens jumped apart. Their faces flushed red.

Suddenly the bus was engulfed in darkness.

"What's going on?" Todoroki asked.

Light blinded them.

Terra blinked the light away and looked out the window. The city had been replaced by a forest.

"What the heck?!" Bakugo demanded.

They all scrambled off the bus.

"Is this an attack?" Todoroki asked.

"You don't think it's the League of Villains, do you?" Terra asked.

"Not exactly." Thorn stepped out from behind a tree. "Good job, Adria."

Adria rose out of the shadows, panting. "That was way too much. Be thankful that it worked."

"Oh, I am." Thorn leered at his sister.

Terra shivered and took a step back.

"Not going to happen!" Bakugo released a couple small blasts as he and Todoroki stepped in front of her.

Thorn listed his head. "Do you really believe I'm scared of you?"

"You will be!" Bakugo said.

Present Mic stepped forward. He opened his mouth to attack. A shadow rose up around him.

"Present Mic!" All Might grabbed for the man. But he and Adria vanished.

Terra's heart hammered her ribs. Her feet wanted to run. But she knew she couldn't. This had to end. She was no longer going to live in fear. "Stand back, guys."

"Huh?" Bakugo and Todoroki looked back at her.

"It's okay. I can handle this." Terra walked in front of them. "Thorn..."

"Sweet sister. Glad to see you come to your senses." He held out his hand. "Come. Let's get out of here."

"No." Terra swallowed. "I won't come with you. Ever."

"What?" Thorn's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not... I'm not your toy." Terra took in a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was fine. She had her friends behind her. She could do this.

"What are you talking about? I love you." Thorn stepped forward.

"Stay back!" Terra lifted vines from the ground and wrapped them around his ankles.

"You have improved. I'm so proud of you." Thorn grinned. Lifting his hands he threaded vines out towards her.

"Stop!" Terra shot out her own vines. Wrapping them around his she pinned them down. "I'm not going to let you control me anymore!"

Thorn's smile faded. "What's wrong with you, little sister? All I want is to take you home."

"No. All you want to do is hurt me, control me, force me to do your dirty work." Terra shook her head. "No more. This ends today."

"You're making a mistake, little sister." Thorn's eyes darkened.

"The only mistake I've made is not standing up to you before now." Terra glanced at the three guys standing with her. She smiled at them then faced her brother. "It's over now. I am going to be a hero. And I am going to stop people like you."

Thorn jerked at his vines.

Terra tightened her hold on them. "It's over. Come along peacefully."

"No. No. No!" Thorn's eyes went wild. He rushed her.

"Terra!" Todoroki shifted his ice.

Bakugo released a few mini blasts.

Terra wrapped her brother up from head to toe, leaving only his eyes uncovered. "You can't win this, Thorn. Even if you manage to escape me... Sho-chan and Bakugo here will stop you."

Thorn gritted his teeth.

A shadow slithered under Thorn's feet.

"Terra! Release him!" Bakugo cried.

The shadow rose up on her vines. Terra pulled back. Thorn vanished in the shadow.

"After him!" Bakugo cried.

"No." Terra held out her arm. "It's pointless. With Adria's shadows they could be anywhere by now."

"Don't worry, Terra. We will find them." All Might walked to her side.

"It's okay, All Might," Terra said.

"Terra?" Todoroki joined her.

She smiled. "I'm okay. Really. I still have some work to do but I'm no longer going to crumbled at his feet. He can come after me all he wants. I won't bow to him anymore."

Todoroki smiled.

"That's good to hear." All Might ruffled her hair. "Let's get back to the school."

"Hey!" Present Mic's voice rang through the forest before he appeared dashing towards them. "Don't leave me behind! I hate the country!"

"So you manage to get away," Todoroki said.

"Are you okay?" Terra asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. That woman didn't know how to fight." Present Mic stopped beside them. "She mostly drug me into her shadows then released me in another spot to keep me at a distance." He looked around. "Where's Thorn?"  
"He ran off," Bakugo said. "The coward."

"I don't think he'll be coming around anymore." All Might put his arm around Terra's shoulders. "Now that my girl here stood up to him."

"Huh?" Present Mic looked between the two.

"I'll explain on the ride back. Let's go." All Might guided them all to the bus.

...

**Author's Note: This may or may not be the end. Despite the number of favorites and follows people don't seem to care for it. And I'm not feeling it much either.**


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